Daisy's Thoughts: A Mario World Story
by JR150
Summary: Princess Daisy has always been different from Peach and Rosalina. Yet they've been getting more attention than her for some reason. So now, she starts to think about whether or not she really matters... It will mostly involve Daisy, with a few side shots here and there focusing on other characters such as the Koopalings, King Boo, Bowser, and even Waluigi.
1. A Not So Average Morning

Chapter One: The Not So Average Morning.

Princess Daisy of Sarasaland. A rough and tumble princess who don't take nothin' from nobody. Not even from the likes of Bowser. Heck, her own subjects were even afraid of her. If for some reason she were to snap and get angry, it was guaranteed that you'd get a chair thrown at your face. However things were...surprisingly calm at the orange princess's desert castle. Nothing bad was going on, and everything seemed normal...albeit very much quiet.

A Dry Bones named Drible-one of Daisy's servants, knew something had to be very wrong. No way in heck was she normally this quiet, or stayed this long at her castle without talking to Peach on her phone. Without hesitation, the Dry Bones knocked on his princess' door. "Madam Daisy?"

A groan came from the other side of the door followed by thumping and rolling. "Yeah yeah, hold your frickin' horses…." came a feminine, yet groggy voice from the opposite side. After a moment or two, the princess opened the door-she was looking very messy with her hair all frizzed out, and her orange floral pajamas wrinkled worse than Kammy Koopa's skin. Her light blue eyes had bags under them, and she looked downright messy.

"Madam Daisy!" Drible gasped, "You look plain terrible!"

"Ugh, thanks for reminding me, buddy." The ginger princess muttered as she rubbed her eyes, "Tell me something I don't know."

"That's just awful. Allow me to prepare your morning bathwater. I brought you the lily petals you enjoy." Drible said cheerfully as he lifted up a basket of white flower petals.

"..." Daisy had no visible reaction, and instead politely denied. "...No thank you, Dribe. I 'preciate it, though. I'll just take a shower." She put on her orange slippers, and started shuffling down the massive hallway of her castle towards the staircase.

"Oh, well then allow me to prepare your special Hazelnut Coffee for you." The skeletal koopa offered.

Internally, Daisy groaned, but didn't want to hurt the feelings of her servant. "...No. Thanks, but I think I can get my own." she replied as they both started walking down the stairs.

Unfortunately, her servant was persistent. "Then how about a nice pancake breakfast like you enjoy every morning?"

Daisy could barely stand her servant's pleas anymore, as she brought her palm to her forehead. No way was she going to let herself be treated like Peach. "No. Thank you," she said to him in a bit more of an authoritative tone. From there, the two made their way into the kitchen where Daisy turned on the coffee machine, _"Maybe this'll help."_

Sadly, Drible didn't catch the hint and kept trying to address his princess' problems. "Come now, Madam Daisy. There must be something you need. A massage? Some music? A hug?"

"...NO." Daisy finally couldn't take it anymore and let off her steam. "I don't want no help. I don't need any of that crap. Do I look like Peachy to you? Do I?!"

"...N-no, but Madam Daisy, please…" her servant shivered slightly, making rattling noises from his body.

"..." Daisy realized she was going a bit too far and calmed down. "...Sorry. Look, I didn't mean to yell...I just don't need any extra help to do basic things, ok?" She rubbed the undead koopa's head affectionately, "You're a lotta help. Trust me. Just...only come when I need you to, ok?"

Drible felt a bit more comfortable as his princess laid her hand on him. He looked up at her and nodded once. "Of course Madam Daisy. I'll go and see how the others are doing." And with that, the Dry Bones left her in the kitchen by herself.

Daisy sat down in a chair with her coffee, and waited for her servant to leave. "...Whoo. Swear to the Star Spirits I'm glad he's gone."


	2. Getting Out

Chapter Two: Getting Out

Daisy had plenty of servants, but unlike Peach, she didn't exactly let them do everything for her. Drible, for example, her closest servant tried his best to wait on her, hand and foot. Sometimes even literally with even massaging her feet every time she sat down. Needless to say it was creepy as all heck sometimes, and the orange monarch had had enough. All she wanted was a simple break from her constant life here, hence why she always jumped at the chance to join her friends in kart racing tournaments, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, you name it. Everything except-of course-the actual adventures. But of course, there was always next time.

For now, the ginger sat in her kitchen, looking over a magazine. The coffee seemed to have woken her up as she looked through "Shroom's Daily" magazine, and of course, looked over the sports section. "Hm..they got a nice selection of weights there," she muttered as she looked at her right arm-her dominant arm. She was skinny, of course, but she secretly enjoyed how much that fooled people when she showed them her backhand swing that could send the likes of Bowser flying-with or without a tennis racket. "I could stand to hit the gym. Maybe beef up for the sports." Then, all the sudden, a knock at the castle's main doors. "Hm?" she mumbled as she rose from her chair, and started walking down the hall, "I wonder who that could-"

Just as suddenly, a gray and black blur from a Dry Bones whizzed past her like a bullet bill, making her spin around like a top for a moment. "Wh-oa-oa-oa!" Daisy stopped, rubbing her head. "Ugh, Drible! Really?" 

The Dry Bones blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "...Please excuse me, madam Daisy. I was merely-"

She cut him off quicker than a piranha plant did its dinner. "Uh, nah. I think I can get the door, thank you very much." Rolling her eyes, she made her way over to the door to answer it as her undead servant moved out of the way. Upon opening the door, Daisy looked around. "Huh? Hellooo?" she put her hands up to her mouth to amplify her already loud voice.

"Ow! Ah, I'm down here! Quit yelling already!" a feminine voice shouted from her knees.

"Eh?" Daisy put her arms to the side, and looked down. A pink mushroom girl came into view. "Toadette!" she exclaimed, opening her arms for a hug.

The mushroom girl happily obliged by jumping into Daisy's arms, and hugging her. "Hey! I'm glad to see you!"

"Aw, you too. But wait-how did you manage to get all the way out here? It's always above 90 degrees and the sun is always angr-oh god I sound like a frickin' slogan."

Toadette giggled. "Let's just say I managed to find my way…"

One hour earlier…

"Aw, c'mon. Pleeeease?!" Toadette pleaded, grovelling on her knees with her hands together. "I'll do anything!"  
"

For the last time…" a Boo floating in front of her repled, "The answer is no."

Toadette got off of the cold ground, grumbling to herself. She was near Boo Forest, and was trying to gain entry to access a secret warp pipe to Sarasaland. However, she wasn't one to give up so easily. "So you mean it, huh? No way I can get in?" she asked as a smirk crossed her face. She was clearly planning something.

"Uh, duh!" The Boo went on, "Lady Bow wants absolutely no disturbances. She's trying to get some sleep."

"..." Toadette narrowed her eyes as she listened. All through the dark forest were the sounds of howling, screeching, and Swooper's wings flapping. "Oh yeah, that's a real good sleep melody. Kammy Koopa's raggedy singing voice is better."

"Pff. And?" The Boo smirked, "You're not getting in here."

"Oh really? What if I…" she smirked back as, from out of nowhere, she pulled out a saxophone.

"...What the frick are you doing?"

"Well since I can't go to my recital, I'll have to play it for you instead. And a 1, and a 2, and a-" she prepared to put her mouth on the reed before one of the Boo's stubby arms blocked her.

"No, don't. Please! I'm still trying to heal from a fan mark. Screw it, go ahead!" The Boo muttered as he floated to the side.

"Thank you~" Toadette grinned as she skipped happily into the forest.

Back to the present…

"Dang," said Daisy, "Sounds like my girl Toadette's learned a thing or two on how not to be pushed around."

"Uh-huh." She giggled, "So I came over to see if you wanted to go shopping and-"

The nanosecond the word "shopping" connected with her eardrums, Daisy had seemingly bolted.

"...Huh?" Toadette looked around. "Daiz? Where ya go?"

In an instant, the flower princess had exited her castle once more, and to her car wearing her usual yellow-ish top, with her orange shorts, and a purse over her shoulder that matched her clothes. "Come on, Toadette!" she shouted, waving her friend over.

Toadette squee'd and ran over with her. "I call shotgun!"

Meanwhile, Drible was making his way to the door, and stepped out onto the porch, breathing heavily. "Mad...madam Daisy….wait...why aren't you wearing your…"

"Can it, sweetie! Mama needs a new pair of everything!" Daisy grinned as she started pulling out of her driveway. "Byeee~!"

"Ugh….Drible why bother…" the Dry Bones flopped down onto the ground.


	3. Unexpected Encounter

Chapter Three: Unexpected Encounter

Daisy was always a spunky, fun-loving type. Despite not being able to always be able to talk about how she felt, she did enjoy shopping. However, this time it wasn't with Peach. It was with Toadette. Why? Why wasn't she with her best friend in the whole world? Because, despite them being best friends...that didn't mean that they liked _everything_ about each other. But that'll come in later. For now, Daisy and Toadette had drove up to the Shine Sprite Mall at the edge of the Girabuto Region. It was a massive white structure with giant pillars on each side and a Shine Sprite at the top for representation.

Hopping out of her car with her purse, Daisy looked over at Toadette. "You ready?"

The little girl jumped out with a purse of her own with her symbol on it. "Ready!"

They started walking into the massive mall, and came face to face with a huge plethora of Toads, Mousers, Goombas, Koopas, and all types of species walking around the huge shopping center. In the middle of the bottom floor was a massive fountain with Daisy herself on it. "Ugh…" the real version said, "Can they not plaster my face every flippin' where?"

Toadette looked ahead, and saw the statue. "Yeah...shouldn't their money be focused on more important things?"

"Dunno, but my, ugh…" she raised both hands, making air quotes, " 'subjects'-man I hate that word, are free to do what they want." She started walking deeper into the store, "So where to, Toadette?"

"Uh-do you even need to ask? The clothing store, duh!" Toadette grinned, and started running ahead...far ahead. So far that the pink mushroom girl was straight gone.

"Hey wai-!" Daisy was about to call after her, when she noticed someone with a spiked shell enter the game store. "...Toadette, uh...I'll catch up!" She shouted loud enough for her friend to hear, and made a left. _"Spiky shell….who was that?"_ She knew that the only ones with spiked shells worked under Bowser, and that meant trouble. And Daisy wasn't havin' any of that. No way, baby.

The ginger princess snuck around into the game store. It was a place that she hadn't been before, and was just now entering for the first time. "...Woah...the heck is all this?" She started wandering around, wondering exactly what the consoles and stuff were, when she bumped into someone small. "...Oof! Ow, sorry I was-" her eyes went wide as she saw who it way.

"Ow! Hey, watch it, lady!" The raspy voice of a male koopa sounded. He turned around to face who bumped him, and realized who it was: Princess Daisy. "...Ohhh…."

"Well well…." Daisy smirked as she picked the koopa up by his long blue mohawk, "What're you doing here, sweetie? Trying to rob the place?"

The koopa kid squirmed in pain. "Ow ow! Stop. Please!" His appearance was different than the average Koopa. His shell was sky blue, and covered in spikes, he wore no shoes, had eyes that matched the color of his shell, a long blue mohawk protruding from his head, spiked bands on his wrists, and a deep blue star birthmark on the left side of his face. "L-look, m-ma'am we aren't here to cause trouble." 

"Oh? We? As in, there's more than just you?" Daisy smirked darkly at the Koopaling, "Why don't you tell me where they are, hm?"

The Koopa began sweating, "N-no, it's just me and Roy. I swear! We're just here to pick up some games. Honest!"

"Uh-huh…" Daisy raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "You know what I did to your boss when he was in my way? Slapped his butt clear across the Mushroom Kingdom. I wonder how far I could punt your little behind…"

"Let me explain, please!" He showed her a sack of coins, "This is our own, NOT-STOLEN, money that we got from Bowser. Please, can you let me go now?"

"Hm…." the flower princess decided to let him go. "Ok Mr...what's your name again?"

"Larry. Larry Koopa." He rubbed his hair, "Ugh, you have some rough hands for a princess…"

"Pff, yeah. So tell me, what are you doing here?"

Another koopa, bald pink head, pink shell, pink shades, and twice as big as Larry started making his way back to find his brother. "Yo, Larry, where are you-" he stopped mid-sentence as he saw Daisy and turned around. "Aw, heck naw. That woman's crazy man, you're on your own."

"Roy, come on!" his younger brother shouted, "She's not that bad!"

Roy walked back over. "...Wow, I'm surprised she isn't punching you into the sky."

Daisy slapped her hand against her forehead. "What are you boys even doing here? If you're not robbing the place then what?"

Larry spoke up. "Mainly 'cuz we're banned from the stores in Peach's kingdom and can't go. And Bowser's kingdom doesn't exactly get sent any video games. So we...sorta had no choice but to come here…"

Roy decided to take the floor of speaking. "And we know how tough you are and stuff. So we don't exactly plan on stealing anything….for now."

"...Riiight." Daisy said with narrowed eyes. 

"We mean it. Like...Peach expects Mario to do everything for her. But you...you'd come down and handle a problem yourself!" Larry proclaimed, "That's...phenomenal." 

"Wait wha….?"

"You think we enjoy capturing Peach all the time? HA!" Roy laughed, "That's reaaaaal funny." He put on a very bad impression of Peach with a high-pitched voice. "Oh look at me, I'm Princess Peach, come kidnap me, Bowser, and so Mario can save me." He then spoke normally, "For Kamek's sake it's old, boring, repetitive, and just a pure insult to how we operate!"

Larry just folded his arms. "What he said. Ugh, but hey, Bowser likes Peach for who she is. Who are we, his minions to disagree. I mean, she's kinda nice and cute...I guess, but...ugh. Every freaking time we just capture her, capture her capture her. I would rather eat Kammy's terrible cooking." he brought his claw to his face, and slapped his forehead.

"...Huh. You guys have a point." Daisy replied, "Peach and I are besties but….I dunno it seems like her decisions are just so…"

"Dumb?" Roy commented.

"..." Normally, Daisy would've punched someone in the jaw for saying anything about Peach was dumb. But this time….she didn't. "...Yeah…it kinda is…"

"..." Larry checked his watch. "...I don't think Darkland has frozen over. Whatchu just say?"

"...That Peach's ideas are so...dumb. The way she handles her kingdom...how she does things...it just…." Daisy trailed off, shaking her head. This clearly wasn't comfortable to talk about.

"Pff, makes me wonder what you see in her as a best friend." Larry said bluntly.

"..." That seemed to have frozen Daisy for a moment, as everything around her seemed to slow down...rethinking her best friend...and what she saw in Peach. It wasn't easy to think about, let alone discuss. "...I'll see you boys later. And...thanks." she left the game store, leaving Larry and Roy alone.

Larry blinked. "...She said she'll see us later?"

Roy blinked. "...And thanked us?" 

They both spoke in unison. "What the frick?"


	4. Heavy Thinking

Chapter 4: Heavy Thinking

Daisy walked at a snail's pace through the mall to find Toadette. What if what the Koopalings said was true? Was there a real reason why she found herself so close to Peach all the time for...no real reason at all it seemed? All of it building upon the precipice of jealousy and strife that's been festering inside her to this day. Yet for some reason...she couldn't pinpoint the cause of it. For some reason the answer to it all felt very clear to Daisy….yet so obscure and blank, that she couldn't seem to figure it out. _"..What is this gross feeling?"_

Regardless, the redheaded princess decided to put it out of her mind for a while as she shuffled along the mall floor, and to look for Toadette. Toadette had run off ahead of her when they first got into the mall, and Daisy got distracted talking to Roy and Larry Koopa in the game store. Now, she had to find her friend. And her face snapped towards the direction of a shrill cry.

"Whaddya mean you're all sold out of Toad sizes?!" a voice called from the nearby clothing store.

Daisy ran towards the sound of the cry, and found Toadette shouting at a store clerk who was a Paratroopa. "...Huh?"

"I'm sorry miss, b-but we're not getting anymore in your size until….n-next week?"

"...Next week?" Toadette's eyes were literally on fire, "NEXT WEEK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME-"

Daisy quickly picked her up, and covered Toadette's mouth with her hand. "Uh...sorry Mr. Red. She gets a bit cranky when her clothes aren't…"

"It's fine…" The paratroopa responded, "Just...keep a leash on her, please."

Toadette broke free of Daisy's covering. "OH. A LEASH?! WHAT AM I A CHAIN CHOMP NOW? WANT ME TO BI-"

Daisy covered up her mouth once more, and all that could be heard from Toadette was angry mumbling. "S-sorry, Mr. Red...we'll uh...we'll go ahead and leave now." Daisy had to pretty much drag Toadette out of the clothing store, and into the hallway. "What the frick were you doing in there?"

Toadette jumped out of Daisy's arms. "Stupid Paratroopa called me short. Nobody calls me short and expects me to keep quiet about it!" She pulled Daisy by the shirt down to her level, and looked her in the eyes. "You got that?"

"..." Daisy brushed herself off, and backed away. Even she was a mite scared of Toadette when she was angry. "Jeez, TE. No need to get…..flamey over it. It's just clothes."

Toadette let out a small sigh. "...Yeah. I just haven't had much to eat today. I'm sorry." 

"Wait, you what?"

"Yeah, I got up this morning, and hurried up to visit you." she admitted.

"Wait, why me? Don't you normally visit Peach every morning? And your brother, Toad?"

"Well…"

Six hours earlier….

Toadette woke up out of bed, groggily. "Morning dear…." she looked over to see, surprise, nothing. "Oh, yeah that's right. I'm single." WIth a sigh, the pink polka-dotted toad got out of bed. "Guess I should head over to the castle for breakfast…"

After a quick walk over to Peach's castle, she was about to knock on the door, when her brother, Toad came out, narrowly dodging a thrown high heel shoe, anr breathing heavily. "...Just why…"

Toadette walked up to Toad. "Bro? What's going on?"

"Well, Peach isn't exactly Peachy today. She's kinda angry…."

A loud crashing could be heard from the other side of the door followed by Toadsworth telling her to calm down…

"The heck has her so...rotten?" Toadette asked.

"Her shipment of pink dresses hasn't come in, and she needs them soon. You know how women get when their clothes just aren't right." Toad snickered.

Toadette glared at her brother.

"What?"

"Nothing." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, think you can help me calm her down?" But by the time Toad said that, Toadette was already running off in the distance. "Bye, bro, have fun with that!"

"Hey!"

Back in the present…

"So...yeah. Got nothing else. But I can't really blame Peach. Clothes are a big deal." Toadette shrugged.

Daisy slapped her palm on her forehead. At this rate, her face would have a handprint on it by the end of the day. "Ugh, what do you guys care about what you wear so much for? Just wear something else." 

Toadette rolled her eyes. "Don't even start Ms. I Wear a Dress Just As Often As Peach."

"Oh, don't you dare frickin' pull that card. I gotta rep to keep up and represent my home. And hey, I don't mind wearing a dress. I really don't. It makes me look good. But I look good in more than just a stupid dress. So I'll wear whatever I want. Peach-name one time you've seen her at her castle in anything besides her dress or PJ's."

"...Touche." Toadette muttered.

"Exactly. Besides, she needs to learn how to actually wear other stuff, and not just be a damsel in distress." Daisy snarked.

"Hey, that's not nice. You of all people should know that Peach has a nice personality, and cares about everyone very much. Heck, and she fights too!" Toadette proclaimed.

"Ugh...then why does Bowser still cap her?"

"...Oh, well...I think because she lets him….I'll admit that's kinda….weird."

"Toadette. Do you realize how stupid this is? Time and time again she puts the Mushroom Kingdom in danger just to let Bowser capture her, and Mario save her, and everyone loves her? WHY? Does that make sense to you?" 

"..." Toadette blinked, and just fell silent.

"I mean, everyone loves Peach, and just because she gets the occasional chance to fight for herself, like the Smash tournaments, means she just lets herself be taken every other time for no reason? I mean...she's my best friend. We've been friends since we were kids, but...I don't get it. What does she get out of it so much that she just keeps letting it happen shamelessly?"

"...Probably best if you ask her yourself." Toadette replied.

"Ugh...maybe. Next time when I go see her, I'll definitely ask. But for now...let's get outta here before Mr. Red bans you. You got some other stuff, right?"

Toadette lifted up her bags. "Yup. I'm cool to go. What about you?"

Daisy shrugged. "Yeah. I didn't get much. Just a cap from the game store. I planned to hit the gym after this. Wanna come with?"

Toadette shook her head as the two began walking towards the mall's exit. "Nah. My stubby little arms aren't meant for weightlifting. I'll stick to the sax, thanks."

"Suit yourself." Daisy and Toadette started walking out of the mall, and back to her care. "This was totes fun, wasn't it?"

"Yup. Shopping with one of my gal pals is always fun." Toadette replied as they buckled in. "Just drop me off at the pipe down the street that leads to Boo Forest."

Daisy nodded, and pulled out of the mall's parking lot, and onto the street. From there, she rounded a corner, and stopped at a gray pipe that was hidden behind some bushes. "See ya tomorrow, right?" Toadette asked as she exited the car and walked towards the pipe.

"Yeah, sure." Daisy grinned, and waved. "Bye!" 

Toadette waved back. "Bye!"

And with that, the girls parted ways with Daisy driving off, and Toadette taking the pipe back to Boo Forest. As Daisy drove, however, she couldn't help but tap her fingers on the steering wheel as Toadette and Larry's words rang in the back of her mind. As they did, she began thinking to herself. "...What does Peach mean to me? Is she really my friend or is she…." she scrunched up her face with frustration. "UGH!" She slammed her fist on the horn, and sighed. "...Maybe the gym will help calm my nerves." Making up her mind, Daisy started driving towards the gym in the middle of the city that was a few blocks away from the mall. All the while she was thinking of what she should do about her best friend...


	5. Wah-aht the heck?

Chapter 5: Wah-aht the heck?

Daisy was almost finished with her rounds for the day when she got call on her cell phone. The ringtone was her Mario Strikers theme, and she looked at it. It was Drible calling her from the castle. _"Ugh, really? He knows better than to call while I'm out…."_ With a lucky stop at a red light, the ginger princess placed her orange tan touch screen phone on the dash, and pressed the speaker button, answering in a defeated tone. "What is it, D?"

"Madam Daisy? You're alright?" The Dry Bones rattled from the other end.

"Ugh, yes. Now can you please leave me alone?" She blinked, realizing that was somewhat standoffish to say. "I mean...I'm fine, alright?"

"Don't worry, Madam. I'm merely asking what you would like for dinner this evening."

"..." Daisy began driving forward as the red light swapped for green. Not only did she hate when her servant called her in the middle of her "Me" time, but she downright _loathed_ the whole "Madam" thing. "Drible, please….you don't gotta call me Madam. I'm Daisy. Just Daisy alright?" she answered as she began pulling a left on the road.

"What? Nonsense! A Princess must be formally addressed as such. How else would I-"

It was at that moment, when Daisy had had enough of her servant's "help." "Uh, Drible-crrrhhh. I'm breaking-crrrrhh-up-crrhhh. Going through a-crrrrhhh tunnel, okbye!"

"Wait wher-?!"

Before the bony koopa could respond, Daisy had already hung up, and turned her phone off. "Ugh...why do the best servants have to be the most...annoying?" She had to admit it to herself. She needed to do something about Drible. "Maybe when I get back but for now…" the brunette pulled into the parking lot for the gym, and got out of her car. "Weights it's what it's time to lift, _son_!" she grinned, shouting to no one in particular.

She walked into the gym, and the clerk instantly recognized her. "Hello Miss. Daisy!" a white Bob-Omb greeted her.

Daisy turned to face the round explosive device and shushed it. "Shhh! Don't give me away, Bob!" She placed a gold card on the counter, "Just hurry up and scan me in!" she pleaded to which the Bob-Omb took her card and ran it through.

"What's the rush?"

"I don't need nobody tryin' to grab on me and get me to sign bills and crap." The floral princess sassed him as she took her card, and walked into the main weight room. From there, Daisy looked around. There were weight benches, ellipticals, exercise bikes, dumbbell sets, and more. Everything sat perfectly in the well lit room with its gray carpet flooring. "Ah...my home away from home."

Normally, she would've had a gym built in her own castle, but she'd be bothered to no end by Drible and visitors. So instead, she was glad to catch a break. "Hm...what first…" she muttered to herself. She found herself gravitating over towards the weight bench. "Yeah, this'll work." And without wasting anymore time, Daisy laid down on the bench, and looked at the rod. "Hm…" It didn't look like there was enough weight to actually give her a challenge. So she decided to get up. 

"Hm...stupid weights aren't even enough." She grabbed a few round weights, and placed them on either side of the metal rod. "Maybe now it'll be worth something." Laying back down on the bench, Daisy grasped the barbell in both hands, easily lifting it up with little struggle. "Hm. Again? Ugh…I guess it's not that hard anymore." Daisy sighed, and got up from the bench. "Heh, I almost need to be lifting rocks." she wrapped an orange towel around her shoulders, and started walking around.

Meanwhile, a tall, lanky man in purple overalls and a cap with an upside-down "L" was walking through one of the hallways of the gym, grumbling to himself angrily. "Meeeh, stupid Wario. Nyeeeeh….why does he make stupid choices with the money?"

Daisy was making her way through the gym halls as well, and bumped into him, "Oof!" She didn't realize who it was until she looked forward. "Sorry about th-wait, Waluigi?!"

"Eh?" The pencil-thin man looked at the brunette, and his eyes turned into hearts. "Daisy!"

"Nope." Daisy walked right past him, "accidentally" stepping on his foot.

"Wah! Ow!" Waluigi grabbed his foot, and jumped from the pain. "Was that-a necessary?"

"If you don't want your face broken off. Yes." Daisy snapped, still walking away from him.

"Playing hardball as always, eh?" Waluigi followed her, "C'mon, talk to me."

Daisy kept walking, eyes closed, and not saying a word to him.

"Hey, when's the last time Green Snot ever visited you, eh? You not even ask me why I'm here in your kingdom."

Daisy let out a deep breath as she stopped. "Fine. What are you doing here?"

"Well, if you must know...I'm teaching an aerobics class at the gym." Waluigi replied.

"A...wait what?" Daisy blinked, not believing it, "Since when were you ever interested in teaching anyone anything?"

"Ehhhh…" Waluigi groaned, "Wario managed to mess up our money with the factory. Lately it's been getting worse and worse and nothing we can do about it. So we gotta find ways to make money...and I'm teaching a class here."

"Wow. Never thought you'd be doing something constructive instead of stealing stuff." Daisy commented.

Waluigi smirked. "Waluigi got all kinds of 'constructive' things he does, but you never ask. Because you always with Green Fool!"

"Well, maybe because he does constructive things, oh I dunno, all the time? Saved Peach numerous times, stopped King Boo _twice_. And don't even get me started on how awesome he is in the Smash tournaments." Daisy shrugged, "You...what you beat Bowser _once_? Heck, _I've_ beaten Bowser more times than you."

Waluigi interjected, "Um, that's debatable."

"...Hm, maybe. But you get my point."

"I don't get it!" Waluigi raised his arms in frustration. "Why don't you like me?"

"Look. We'd be here all freakin' day if I explained that." Daisy said, with a soft chuckle to herself. "Besides, don't you have a class to teach?" 

"Ehh, fine...but you will be mine someday." He walked away, grumbling to himself some more."

"Phew….glad that creep's gone. Now I-" her phone vibrated in her pocket, casing her form to jiggle along with it. "Hhhhhuh?" She took her phone out, "I need a new vibrator for this thing…." she answered, "Hello?"

"There you are!" The Dry Bones rattled. "Madam Daisy where have you been?"

"Oh, um…Drible I-"

"You said you were in a tunnel! Are you alright? Has anyone tried to harm you?"

Daisy looked ahead of her to see Waluigi going into a room, and snickered to herself. "Nah. Drible will ya quit worryin'? Ya know I can take care of myself."

"Yes, I do but….there's a problem at the castle, and you need to hurry home right away!" Over the phone, Daisy would hear crashing and banging of metal, "Get out of there!" Drible shouted into the background before speaking back to his princess. "Please hurry!"

"Hey w-" dial tone. "Dangit. So much for gettin' some me time." She put her phone away, and walked out of the gym, back to her car. _"I bet it's just a Mouser or something and Drible's just scared. Mousers are common around here, so I wouldn't be surprised."_ She giggled at the thought, and pulled away from the gym's lot.

After driving for what seemed like hours due to the horrendous traffic, Daisy soon neared her castle. "Welp. Time to see what Drible's so worked…." she blinked as her eyes went wide at the sight of her castle. "...up…..over…...oh no he was right. This _is_ bad."


	6. Oh My Stars

Chapter 6: Oh My Stars

Daisy nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw what had happened. A giant piece of what looked like a station had crashed into the side of her castle. "..." She looked up and froze, mouth agape at what she was witnessing, and that only turned into shivering as she called for her servant. "...Dr-dr-dr-drible!"

"Uh-oh…" The Dry Bones ran out to her, "Uh, Madam Daisy! I...um...this was what I was trying to tell you over the phone." Perhaps what might've been the scariest thing for Drible, Daisy didn't say a word, yell or even bat him an eye. He watched in fear as his princess simply walked past him in a robotic state, as if she was being controlled. "...M-Madam Daisy?"

"..." She didn't turn around, and spoke lowly, " 'Madam Daisy' me one more time….and I swear to-"

A piece of metal dropped from the side of the station that had crashed into the castle, making a hollow 'clink' on the castle floor, prompting Daisy to look up. When she did, she could see a window on the side of the station. More than likely it came from outer space. "Hm...I wonder who this could be…" she mouthed sarcastically to herself.

Once she got close enough, Daisy shouted. "Ahem. Welcome to My Castle, the place where you GET YOUR BUTT KICKED IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN HERE."

Drible meanwhile, hid inside of his shell. Daisy was always scary to him when she was angry.

In response to the fiery redhead's shouting, a window opened on the side of the station. In a few moments, a bright light slowly descended down to Daisy's castle floor, the figure was tall, feminine, and barefoot. "...My apologies…" a small voice said as the light stopped, taking the form of a woman wearing a light blue T shirt, matching shorts, pale blonde hair with a massive bang covering up her right eye.

"...You." Daisy's expression softened slightly from anger to confusion, and questioned her.. "What are you doing here, Rosalina?"

"Well….I...it isn't easy to explain…" the mysterious woman known as Rosalina said meekly.

"Look. Spit it out." Daisy folded her arms, tapping her foot, "I ain't dealin' with my castle being smashed open like an egg without an explanation. So talk."

"Well it goes like this…" Rosalina explained, "I was taking a small break away from the Comet Observatory's control panel to find something to eat...when I hadn't realized that my Tracking Sensors were offline...so I had no real way of detecting an incoming asteroid…"

"Uh-huh…" Daisy nodded, "Go on."

"So...from there, the asteroid clipped a side of my ship, sending all of my cargo off into deep space. And I had to hurry up and land before I ran out of oxygen…" Rosalina went on.

"Ok, ok, I've heard enough." Daisy put up her hand, "So now I think you need a place to stay until you get back on your feet or whatever, right?"

Rosalina nodded slowly. "If it's not too much trouble...I'll pay you back for all the damages I caused. I just need some...special materials to fix the Observatory." 

Daisy sighed. "Fine...and sorry for yelling at you a bit ago. I can call up a repair guy and have him fix it."

Rosalina managed a smile, "Oh, thank you very much, Miss Daisy."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. I guess I'll have Drible come an-" she was cut off before she could finish that sentence as the Dry Bones was standing at her side in an instant.

"At your service, Madam Daisy." he said.

Daisy wasn't exactly too familiar with giving her servant direct orders so it felt a tad awkward as the words rolled off her tongue."Take care of Rosalina and...stuff. You know what you gotta do."

Drible beamed, finally he was given a direct order that he couldn't refuse. "YES!" He blinked, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, I mean, as you wish, Madam Daisy." He walked over to Rosalina, "Allow me to show you to your room, Madam Rosa."

Rosalina smiled, and pet the bony koopa, "Why thank you...Drible was it?" 

He nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Allow me to show you to your room, and then we'll go over dinner for this evening."

Daisy leaned in next to Rosalina and whispered, "He can get a bit irritating at times. Don't be so hard on

him."

Rosalina gave a nod, before the Dry Bones grabbed her hand and started walking off with her. "I'll bring you everything you need, Madam. Clothes, food. Whatever you need from me, I will answer."

Rosalina smiled, "Why thank you…"

As the two headed up the stairs to find a room for Rosalina to sleep in, Daisy looked at the massive hole in her roof, and pulled out her phone. She tapped a few numbers in, "Come on...pick up…." after a moment or two, someone on the other end picked up, to which she spoke, "Yo, um...I got a problem. Like...a BIG problem." The other person speaking was muttered from her end, "So you can come out tomorrow? Will that be a problem? Uh…..nah, I think we'll be fine. ...Uh-huh….sure…..thanks."

She turned off her phone, and wiped her forehead. "Ugh! So frickin' tired…" she walked over to her couch, and plopped down on it, "At least Drible finally has someone else to bother, and not me." Her eyes blinked. Realizing what she just said, she repeated it to herself. "...Drible won't be bothering me. Yes!" She laid back, sinking into the couch as she turned on the TV with the remote. "I could get used to this…"


	7. The Little Things

Chapter 7: The Little Things

Daisy had fallen asleep on the couch after hours of mind-numbing television, and felt herself woken up. "Huh...wha…? I'm just takin' a nap…" she blinked, realizing that no one was there. "Hm? Oh yeah." She got up, and stretched her arms. "Hm...what to have to eat tonight…"

The redhead princess made her way over to the kitchen, and looked around. "Hm...Luigi gave me a recipe for spaghetti. Where is it…" she started looking through a recipe book, and started remembering the last time she tried to make pasta. "..." She shuddered, "I can still feel the 4th degree burns."

Shaking her head, Daisy decided to try something a bit more simple. She then remembered what her best friend Peach told her:

" _Always cook with love."_

"Ugh…" It nearly made Daisy gag at the mere thought of using "love" to cook with. "How do ya cook with a concept so abstract and….lame?" She let out a sigh, "If there's one thing that Peach is good at, it's cooking. Ugh, she bakes a cake every time Mario saves her. Pff, I don't need a cake to show Luigi I care."

All the sudden, she could hear voices outside the kitchen, and looked towards the kitchen door.

"...so then he says, 'The Thwomp dropped the bass!'" a familiar male voice said.

A girlish giggle could be heard in response, "Wow. I didn't know Dry Bones could be so humorous."

It was, of course, Daisy's bony servant Drible and Rosalina. They were walking down the hallway, and having a bit of a laugh together, which made Daisy listen in even more.

"So I was going to ask, what would you like for dinner tonight Madam Rosa?"

"Oh, um...anything is fine…" the space goddess replied.

"Are you sure? Is there not anything you would like to try here?" Drible offered.

"Well...I might've been wanting to try...something spicy. Such as...Fire Flowers? Can they be used for culinary purposes?" she asked.

Drible rubbed his gloved hand against his chin for a moment as he thought about it. "I believe so. But they are...very hot. Are you sure?"

Rosalina nodded once. "Yes, please. Does Daisy have some?" 

"Maybe. I'll go and ask her." Drible turned to head to the living room where he thought Daisy was.

"Wait." Rosalina put a hand on his shoulder, "Before you go...if it's not too much trouble…"

"Anything Madam. A drink? A place to sit down?"

"That last one please-woah!" her hand was suddenly grabbed by Drible as he took her to the living room, and placed her on a chair. "Um….thank you."

"Anything else?" He looked over to the couch, and noticed Daisy wasn't there.

"No, not much else, thank you." Rosalina said.

Drible nodded, and began walking towards the kitchen. "Madam Daisy? Where are you?"

The flower princess revealed herself, "Hey, Dribe. What's up?" she waved, "Sup?"

"I wanted to ask you...do we perhaps carry fire flowers? Madam Rosa wishes to eat something with a lot of spice."

Daisy was surprised to actually hear Drible not ask _her_ if she wanted something. "Um...yeah, in the cabinet. What were ya gonna make?"

The Dry Bones looked around until his eyes focused on her hands, "She did not specify. And-is that a recipe book in your hands?"

"Oh, uh…" she looked down at it, and back up at him. "Yeah?"

"Madam Daisy...you know you're not….the best at cooking."

"Hey! I can try, " Daisy snapped.

"Sure, but...maybe we should let me handle it tonight. Especially for our guest…" he took the book out of her hands, and starts pushing her out of the kitchen. "You go have yourself some relaxation. Talk to her while I cook dinner."

"But I-" before Daisy could finish that, she flinched as the kitchen door slammed behind her. "Ugh, fine…" Begrudgingly so, the brunette princess made her way over to the living room, and sat in a chair next to the couch. "Hey."

"Oh, hello, Princess Daisy." She smiled, "Your servant Drible is so nice. And very handsome too."

"...Really? He's not annoying?" Daisy asked.

"No, not at all. In fact, he's an absolute dear! He tells the funniest jokes, and knows what I need even if I don't wish to ask for it."

"...Huh. That's funny." Daisy muttered.

Rosalina blinked, and looked at her with a concerned expression. "What is?"

"Hm? Nothing…"

After about 30 minutes of awkward silence in the living room between the two princesses, Drible's voice came from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!" A waft of fresh smelling food emitted from the kitchen, travelling all the way down to the princesses' noses.

"I guess the food's ready." Daisy said, as she got up from the reclining chair, and made her way to the dining room. She felt so….awkward behind the fact that not only her servant was cooking for her, but someone with an outside eye was witnessing it.

Rosalina followed her, walking to the dining room as well, and smiled. "Mmm...smells like something delicious." On the table were two plates of pasta with a fiery red sauce glazed over them. Rosalina took her seat, and looked at Drible. "Thank you. I appreciate the lengths you took to prepare this meal."

The Dry Bones blushed. "'Twas no issue, Madam." He looked over at Daisy, who had taken her seat as well.

"Thanks…" she replied somewhat flatly, picking up the fork to peck at her food with a glum expression.

Rosalina on the other hand, was eating away at her plate of food, savoring the taste. "Mmm…"

Drible looked at Daisy, and could tell something was wrong. However, he didn't want to embarrass her in front of Rosalina, so he opted to wait until she was finished eating.

When they were finally finished the Dry Bones took their plates. "I hope you two have room for dessert!"

As he went into the kitchen, Rosalina looked at Daisy. "I want to thank you."

"Eh?" Daisy blinked.

"For everything. For letting me into your home, for showing me such hospitality. For giving up the use of your servant for me….I appreciate it all. So much so that….well...I've gone through the trouble of fixing your roof myself." Rosalina smiled.

"...Wait, what?" Daisy blinked.

"Yes. You see…" she held out her magic Star Wand. "My wand only had a small smidge of power left before the crash. It uses the power that fuels my ship-the Grand Star. But even with the Grand Star, the Observatory is nothing without it's other half. So...I used the last of my magic to fix the hole in your roof as a way of saying thank you...for all you've offered me."

Unfortunately, the appreciation had a negative effect, as Daisy felt a pang of guilt strike her in the face like a ton of brick blocks. Something within her stirred slightly as she started to feel sick with how she acted. "..."

"...Is there something wrong?" Rosalina asked, "I figure most of you on earth would be overjoyed with being appreciated in such a manner."

"I...uh…" Daisy held her stomach with her arm. "...I gotta go." She got up from the table, and left from the dining room into the hallway, and up the stairs to her bedroom.

"But…" Rosalina tried to say something, but Daisy was long gone. 

Drible walked out of the room carrying an orange and blue cake. "And here we g-" he blinked, "Madam Daisy?" he couldn't help but look at Rosalina for an answer.

"...She just left."

Drible sighed, placing the cake on the table. "She took off quicker than my brother. I'll go talk to her. Please don't worry yourself, Madam Rosa." And with that, the Dry Bones walked upstairs to find Daisy, leaving Rosalina alone and confused….

" _What did I do wrong?"_


	8. The Other Side

Chapter 8: The Other Side

Drible made his way up the stairs and towards Daisy's bedroom, and gave a light knock on her door. "Madam Daisy? Madam Daisy, whatever is the matter?" Unfortunately no answer came in reply to the knock, which made him sigh. "Madam Daisy, you know very well I'd wait here all night until you gave me an answer. I promise it'll be confidential, just please…"

Moments later. The door did, in fact, open to which Drible found his brunette princess looking a bit sad. "Um….hey?"

"Madam Daisy…..please tell me what is wrong," the bony koopa pleaded.

"...Nothing. I'm fine…" she lied.

Drible sighed. "Madam Daisy….you know how your father dislikes it when you bottle and shield your problems off from the world. It doesn't get you anywhere but in a circle of never-ending pain and sadness." In order to try and help her feel better, Drible walked over and hugged around her leg, looking up at her, "Please...as your servan-no, no, as your _friend_. I want to help in any way I can."

Daisy looked down at the Dry Bones hugging her leg. Having no real clue on what to do, she found herself stuck silent for a moment or two. "..."

"Madam….?"

"Drible….listen." She leveled a sigh, "I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings over this…"

"Hurt anyone-How could you possibly hurt anyone with your words?"

Daisy blinked, remembering the very last time something like that happened. Something she never wanted to recall for the better of everyone. "...Look, I'd just rather not talk about it, ok?"

The Dry Bones wanted to persist in his efforts to help his princess, but didn't enjoy prying in on things he was denied access to. It wasn't ethical nor respectful in his eyes. "...Alright. I suppose that means you're going to sleep then?" 

Daisy looked out her window. It was nearly pitch black outside as the moon was slowly rising up. "...Uh, yeah. I think I will once I shower." She quickly made her way over to her bathroom. If there was one thing Daisy was, it was, it was stubborn. When it came to her privacy and her private thoughts, no one. No. One. No one was allowed into them, unless they could handle every bone in their body broken, or in Drible's case, just a broken body.

Just as well, before Drible would even think of trying to pry into Daisy's thoughts, he'd sooner drop himself off the castle's highest pillar, so… "..If that's what you wish, then I won't try and press the issue…."

The bathroom door would simply slam closed in response, followed by the sound of the shower running.

"..." Drible flinched as the door was closed, and made his way out of the room. Closing her door back as he exited, the undead koopa made his way out into the massive hallway, shuffling along dreadfully.

Rosalina meanwhile, had decided to travel upstairs herself, and see how he was doing. She looked to her left to see her new friend walking down the hall. "Drible…? Is there something wrong?"

"...Oh, nothing," he answered half-heartedly. "Just...understanding what my place is." 

"...Place? But you're her most trusted servant. Why would you say that?" she asked him.

Drible sighed. "If it's not my right to know something, then I shouldn't. I just...I just want to help her, but she doesn't seem to want to let me. So I guess...it's simply not my place."

"Well...if she has private thoughts, I think it would be best to leave her alone…" Rosalina tried to explain it carefully without being insensitive.

Drible seemed to understand her, even if it didn't make him feel that much better about it. "...Yes, I believe I know what you mean. But do not worry about it. Um...will you be heading to bed now?" 

The space princess nodded. "Yes….I think so. But before I go, I want to thank you...for everything you've done."

"Why...twasn't a problem Madam…" he blushed in response.

Rosalina smiled, and walked past him. "Goodnight." she then made her way into the guest bedroom, closing the door softly.

Now, Drible was alone, and both princesses were in their rooms for the night. Daisy herself never knew what her servant did every night once she left for sleep, and Rosalina surely didn't either. But once the fiery redhead went to sleep, Drible was a completely different koopa….sort of.

After they were taken care of, the Dry Bones took off his small tuxedo, and placed it on a hanger. "...Another good day," her muttered tiredly to himself. Unfortunately, whether or not he was serious about this was left ambiguous, even to himself. "Hm….where's that telephone….?" Usually, after the day was over, Drible would grab himself any leftovers from dinner. However, because Rosalina was over that night, there wasn't much left for him. So, as an alternative, he reached for the phone to order a pizza "Hello? Yes, can I get a large Zap Mushroom pizza? Thank you. Deliver it to Daisy's Castle."

After he hung up the phone, Drible made his way downstairs, and jumped onto the couch. _"Whew...such a long day. Why does Daisy act as if she hates me?"_ He sighed, knowing that wasn't true, and that Daisy did like him. He just couldn't understand why… _"Maybe she's just had a rough day. With Rosalina crashing into her house, and being out with her friends all day. Maybe I'm just prying into her personal issues too much….as always."_ Another sigh, and Drible picked up the TV remote to turn it on. "Oh, the Water Park Parkour Tournament…."

On the TV the sound of someone smacking into giant rubber balls while trying to traverse them could be heard, causing Drible to laugh. "Hah! No one could ever get past those!"

It would be about twenty minutes of him watching television until there was a low knock at the door. "Oh, that must be my pizza." Drible got up from the couch to go open the door. When he did, he nearly jumped out of his shell when he saw who it was. "...What are you doing here?"


	9. A Bit Of A Snag

Chapter 9: A Bit Of A Snag

"Yo, bro." Another Dry Bones answered. Contrast to Drible, this one had blue shoes and shell, the number "10" plastered on the back of said shell, and carried himself in a...less dignified manner. "As soon as I got the call, I hurried up and made this delivery. How's things goin'?"

"...Dryden….what are _you_ doing here?" Drible asked.

Dryden blinked and poked his brother's head, "Yo, can you hear me? I said I got the pizza for you!

"Shhh! You're gonna wake up the princess...es."

"..es? As in more than one? Lemme guess, Peach is here for a sleepover and she ordered this?" Dryden rolled his eyes.

"No, you fool. I ordered that. For me." Drible grabbed the pizza out of his brother's hands. "Let me get the coins. Come inside." Turning around, Drible started moving towards the kitchen with the pizza box, as Dryden followed closely behind. "I had forgotten you were a delivery boy."

"How? It's my job, for now anyways. And you, you straight have it made, you know that?" Dryden snarked, rolling his eyes.

"...Oh really? Do I now?" Drible raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

Dryden scoffed. "Pssh, yeah. You get to be with Daisy-one of the coolest chicks around. All day everyday. That's so freakin' cool!"

"Ugh…" Drible groaned, looking through his wallet for coins, "You don't even know half of it…"

"...Hm?"

"Do you know what it feels like when you're just pushed away, and shunned, and disregarded despite your best efforts to show someone you care?" he looked into his brother's eyes.

"...That bad, huh?" Dryden frowned. "Talk to me."

"That means you'd have to be quiet," Drible replied.

"Hey, I'm trying to help out."

"Yes I know you are…" Drible sighed. "Look, all I'm saying is, for some reason, Daisy hasn't been accepting my help all that much, and I want to know why."

"But she ain't sayin' nothin'?" Dryden asked.

"Yes...how did you-"

"Classic women, bro. I've seen it happen a lot of times before. Trust me, you're not getting anywhere, unless you reach out to her heart."

"...?" Drible, having so real experience with women outside of princess Daisy and her needs, was utterly confused by what his brother had said. "...What? You know she'll grind anyone into dust if they try to touch her-"

"What? Ew, no!" Dryden shook his head, "No, what I mean is...think about how she feels, and try to talk it out with her. For example. Has she said anything that might've slipped?"

"Hm…" Drible looked up, thinking back to earlier that day.

 _Do I look like Peachy to you?! Do I?!_

"Yes...she said that she's not Princess Peach.

Dryden clicked his tongue. "Ha. There it is. That's what the problem is."

"...What is it?" Drible asked. 

"It sounds to me like she doesn't wanna take help from you, because it'll make her look like Peach." He shrugged, "Honestly...I dunno what to say other than maybe she simply wants to be independent and not act like Peach who's heavily dependent."

"I see….so what should I do?"

Dryden was about to say something, before his watch beeped, indicating that he had to leave. "Aw, crap. Sorry man. Gotta go make more deliveries. But anyway, you should probably sleep on it once you eat that pizza. Speaking of which, that'll be 40 coins."

"Alright…" Drible put the coins in a bag and handed them to his brother. "Here. Still can't believe they hired you. With your loud piece of wooden wheeled…what is it again?"

Dryden rolled his eyes. "It's called a skateboard. And making deliveries is way safer for the environment than driving."

"If you say so. And thanks." Drible managed a small smile, "Your visit cheered me up somewhat."

"Heh, I knew it. See ya!" The Dry Bones jumped onto his board, and rolled off the castle grounds.

Drible closed the door, and thought heavily upon his brother's words. Does Daisy really fear that she'll be like Peach if she accepts simple help? Is that why he's been kicked to the curb so much? The conflictive thoughts all made his head spin, almost literally so. But regardless, he decided to put it out of his mind for now as he sat on the couch. _"Maybe Dryden was right. I should sleep on it until tomorrow, and try and figure out what's wrong…"_ he took a slice of pizza and bit into it. _"Hopefully Madam Daisy will be more open tomorrow…"_

After a few hours, the bony koopa would fall asleep on the couch, with an alarm clock set for 6 AM-his normal wakeup time for his shift to begin. All day. Everyday….


	10. A New Day

Chapter 10: A New Day

 _BRRRRRING!_ The sound of Drible's alarm clock blared through the room, causing him to startle awake. "Ah, wha-woah!" The koopa fell down off of the couch, and flailed his hand around to search for the button to shut it off. "Where is it…" it suddenly shut off, leaving the room silent. "...Hm…" Last night was a rough one to say the least. As he got up, Drible had to stretch, and heard his bones crack-which for his kind meant that his body cracked. "Ow….stupid couch." After a moment or two, he started thinking. "What am I gonna do about Madam Daisy?" He muttered as he walked towards the nearby closet to grab another tux. "Perfect. But first…" He set the tux back, and walked into the downstairs bathroom to take a shower. "My mind's made up...I have to do my job."

Once he was finished in the shower, and dressed in his usual tuxedo uniform, Drible went into the kitchen. "Here we go…"

In a matter of minutes, delicious smells would start emitting from the kitchen, flowing all the way up to Daisy's room. The brunette princess, wearing an orange sleep mask, sniffled at the smell. "...Hm?" She sat up in bed, lifting the mask up. "...What's he up to?" she decided to get out of bed, and start walking downstairs…

By the time she did, there would be a big breakfast that could put a 4-star restaurant to shame sitting on her table. Pancakes piled high on one plate, with edible daisies on top, bacon and scrambled eggs on another, hash browns laced with homemade ketchup, and her secret guilty pleasure: a bowl of oatmeal laced with apples, cinnamon, blueberries, honey, oranges, and honey. All of it made Daisy's head swim as she stuttered, trying to find words. "...Drible I…"

The skeletal koopa looked up at Daisy with a weak smile. He was clearly tired from doing so much work, but tried to hide it. "Madam Daisy….I made breakfast for you. Please...have a seat and eat something. You haven't accepted any of my offers for breakfast in weeks."

"..." As if she was a Boo, Daisy was frozen in time for a moment as her jaw dropped. She closed her eyes and shook her head to bring herself back down to earth. Once she did, she simply shuffled over to the chair, and sat down. "...Dribe….you know ya didn't have to do this…."

"...Madam Daisy, I will be frank with you…" he took a deep breath. "I...know you don't wish to ask much of me. Which is fine, I appreciate it. But...I also want to feel needed. Your father knows his daughter is very smart and very strong. However, I know that you also have a lot of stress underneath your skin….some of which, is let out in mishandled fashions such as being a mite too rough in the soccer tournaments….so….that is why I'm here. I don't mind I'm accidentally end up being hit with something you throw, or to make breakfast for you or to give you massages. Because I know that you'll be happy and sleep soundly…."

"..." Daisy simply listened to her servant.

"But lately….you've been somewhat denying me every chance I offer you to help or assist." He sighed, "Admittedly, I acknowledge the fact that I can be a nuisance at times if I press you too much. But it's only because...I want to feel needed. As your servant, that's what I live to do: To serve. However, I wish to be more than just that and be considered a friend...hence why I get up early every morning to ensure everything is in order your day goes well."

Daisy blinked. She had no idea that her servant got up so early. "What _do_ you do every morning?"

Drible gulped, not entirely sure how she would accept this. "Well...I wake up every day at 6:00 AM. After I shower, and clean myself up, I usually go outside and wash your car. From there, while I have my cleaning supplies out, I sweep, mop, and wash the windows. From there, I take an inventory of what food is in our cabinets. If something's missing, I go ahead and buy it or stock up on other things. After which I get the mail, and sort it for you. And lastly, before you wake up, I make you breakfast." He blushed out of embarrassment, "...Please don't be angry at me, Madam Daisy...I only want what's best for you…"

"..."

There was a very long pause in the room as both girl, and Dry Bones looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. After a couple of minutes, however, the princess spoke softly.

"I...I never knew you did so much….Drible….I'm so sorry," she frowned.

Drible walked over to her, and gave her leg a hug. "Please, don't bend out of shape because of it."

"I mean it….you do all this stuff for me...and I shun you and deny you of your help all because I don't wanna seem like Peach…" she sighed.

"...That's all?" His brother's guess had turned out to be true, "Why would you say that?"

"Because lately I've been thinking about some things….and well, I'm not no damsel who needs Mario to save her every freakin' time. I'm not some weak chick who can't fight for herself. And I'm certainly not no airhead who enjoys being captured because just screw it." She sighed, "...I'm not some who wants to look like Peach. Her servants do everything for her all the time, but me….I don't….ya know."

Drible smiled softly and placed a hand on her arm. "I understand...feel free to do as you wish, but I am here to keep you satisfied no matter what. You are nothing like Madam Toadstool. You're you, and should not be afraid of becoming like someone else just for having a servant. All princesses have them, and the fact that you still let me do what I do, shows you aren't dense with an iron fist, are open-minded, and enjoy the company of others."

Daisy nodded. "...Huh. Never thought about it that way." She sighed, "Still….I don't know why Peach is the opposite."

"Maybe it's best if you visit her today?" Drible asked.

The princess nodded again, "Maybe. But for now…" she looked at the massive amount of food in front of her, and grabbed her knife and fork. "Not gonna let this food go to waste. Especially when it's made by my _favorite_ servant."

Drible blinked and smiled. He finally had gotten the acknowledgement he was looking for as her servant. "Oh thank you, Madam Daisy!"

She winked in reply, and smirked, "Now, gimme some room. I'm starving!"

Drible nodded, and obeyed the command, moving back to give her some room. Within seconds, loud, noisy sounds of eating were heard from the kitchen as she began munching on everything. This made Drible beam with happiness, and he beamed even more when he saw how much of a mess she was making, giving him something to clean. "Yes," he whispered to himself, happy that Daisy finally accepted him and his assistance.

Still, in the back of his mind, he knew that the issue with her and Peach was unsolved. But for now, he put that aside and just enjoyed the moment that he had made. Everything was starting to look up, and Drible couldn't be any happier. _"You won't be disappointed, Madam Daisy. You won't be disappointed…"_


	11. Girl Talk

Chapter 11: Girl Talk

Daisy let out a loud belch after she had finished all of her breakfast, not bothering to excuse herself properly. "...Whoo….that was some darn good food, Drible. Darn good. You outdid yourself."

The Dry Bones continued to beam with happiness as he gathered up the plates. "Thank you, Madam Daisy. Will that be all for you?"

The flower princess was casually using a toothpick to fish out food between her teeth. "Yup. Hey, where's Rosy?"

"You mean Madam Rosalina?" He quickly realized what he neglected to say at first. "Oh yes. I nearly forgotten. She wanted me and you to make up, so she made herself busy reading over a map of Sarasaland outside. Apparently, she seems to be looking for any way her ship can be repaired." He walked into the kitchen with the stack of plates. "Maybe you could help her out?"

"Hm...aight." She got up from the table, looking at the mess that was there. "But first let me-"

"No, I'll take care of it!" Drible called out, "You go and show Madam Rosalina around before she ends up in the twisted sands of the Girabuto Region."

Daisy slowly nodded. "...Ok. See ya later, then, Dri." she went back upstairs to clean up.

After a quick shower, and getting dressed in a casual pair of skinny jeans, and a white T shirt with orange short sleeves, Daisy made her way outside, and found Rosalina in the distance, looking at a map with a perplexed expression. "Huh?" She made her way over.

Rosalina was busy looking at the map of Sarasaland. Space was no problem at all, but navigating on land….would be minorly troublesome.

It was here where Rosalina would be startled by the rough voice of Princess Daisy. "Yo."

"Ah!" Rosalina flinched, nearly dropping the map on the ground, and looked up to see who it was. "Oh….Daisy. I didn't expect you to...um...nevermind," she said quietly.

Daisy's eyes panned over to the map she was reading. She could easily tell she was lost. "You uh, need some help?"

"...Oh, sure…." Rosalina replied, "I was wondering if there was any sort of shop around here that sold certain items that I could use to repair my ship…"

"Oh, sure thing." She sat down next to her on the bench, "Whatcha need, girl?"

"Well...all I need is one simple thing….an X-72 Galactic Wrench."

Daisy blinked in confusion. "A G what now?" What kind of tool was she asking for? Daisy was clueless, that was for sure.

Rosalina went on to explain. "It's a special type of wrench that can be used to repair Cosmic Machinery. I just...don't really know where to look." 

"Uh-huh…." Daisy nodded as if she understood. Sure, she was handy with the occasional wrench, saw, and screwdriver when it came to fixing things. But this...this one took first prize on her "What the frick," meter. "I dunno where we could find it, but it can't hurt to look someplace, right?"

"Oh, yes…" Rosalina turned her attention back to the map, still unsure of how exactly to navigate terrestrial landscape. However, she nudged Daisy when she thought she found something. "Ooh, how about this hardware store over here?" she asked, while she pointed her forefinger on the map on a symbol of a mushroom.

Daisy looked over and narrowed her eyes. Rosalina hadn't even come close to pointing at where she really needed. "Uh, yeah, no. That's the Item Shop. Gimme that." Quickly snatching the map from her, Daisy pointed to a symbol of a Hammer Bro. " _This_ is the hardware store." She looked at her with a perplexed expression on her face. "All them years up in space, girl, and ya can't even work a map?"

Rosalina blushed, "Well...I haven't spent much time on Earth. I apologize for my ignorance.."

Daisy put her arm around the space princess' shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey. Just kiddin' sister. Newbies to my kingdom get lost all the time." She grinned, and got up, "Come on, follow me to that hardware store," she said as she went over to a street crosswalk. There were a lot of cars passing them by, as Daisy went ahead and pushed the crosswalk button. "Ugh, come on, stupid light…"

Rosalina noticed Daisy's problem and offered to help. "Uh….mind if I try something?"

"Uh….ok?" came a confused reply from Daisy.

Rosalina took the confused princess by the hand, and without warning, they were whisked off above the traffic and to the other side. "Here we are."

"Woah...that's...handy as all heck," Daisy said with praise. "I didn't know ya could do that one."

"I learned how to before the most recent Smash Tournament. Peach and I had lots of fun ther-" she looked up at Daisy who walked walking ahead of her with her arms folded. Something about the Tournament really got under her skin, and Rosalina wanted to know why. "..Daisy?" she walked up next to her.

"Hm? Yeah, what's up?" came an off-handed reply.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Nah, just….thinkin' about stuff."

"...Daisy…"

"Yeah yeah, I know I should be open about what my problems are, blah blah blah," she said as she made a talking duck-like shape with her hand for emphasis, and folded her arms again. "Just….ugh! Why haven't I received an invitation to participate in the Smash Tournaments. I can fight too."

"Well...I don't know…."

"Come to think of it...why wasn't I invited when you two went to save the Sprixie Princesses with Mario, Luigi, and Blue Toad?" Daisy questioned.

"Well...I...I don't know that either…." she admitted.

"...It's fine, " Daisy sighed, "I don't blame you. I just...with all the times I've been left out of time with Peach, I can't help but wonder if she's really my friend anymore…"

"How can you say that?" Rosalina raised her voice out of concern, "You two have been the best of friends since childhood. You're inseparable, and like sisters to each other. What would make you think she doesn't like you anymore?"

"Maybe because she's started inviting you to hang with her instead? And I mean, that's alright. Just look at you. A frickin' immortal space goddess with magic and her own ship. Peach even had her own adventure, and can fight too. And what am I? Just….just here? In the background for no one to care about while you and Peach get all the attention?" Daisy sighed, and started walking along the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry I...maybe you should ask Peach about it…" Rosalina suggested. "You haven't talked to her in a while."

"Hm...maybe. I guess I won't be invited to anything if I'm not glued to her hip or something." She sighed, "...just so...I dunno," and kept walking toward the hardware store, while Rosalina stood behind.

"...If only she knew…" she said to herself as Daisy moved on ahead. "Communication…"


	12. Bolted Stuck

Chapter 12: Bolted Stuck

Daisy, still the fiery redhead she was, continued walking down the street. She was still somewhat disgruntled at the entirety of what Rosalina had told her. No way in heck, was she just going to stand for a half-baked answer. However, once again, she had to stop and realize: This is Rosalina she's dealing with. One of the most powerful beings known to the Mario World, yet she doesn't even understand the difference between an inch and a centimeter. _"I can't get mad at her…"_ she thought, _"It's not her fault…"_

The rest of the walk to the hardware store would be calm, yet a tense feeling of awkwardness lingered in the air as neither princess made eye contact with each other, nor did they speak. Fortunately, this would come to an end once Rosalina pointed at the place. "Is that it?"

Nearby would be a building. A small, hammer shaped building with a Hammer Bro. symbol on top. Below the symbol was a green sign that read: "Jack Hammer's Hardware."

Daisy looked up at it. "Yuuup. This is the place alright." She walked ahead of her. "Whatcha say you need? Galactic Wrench?"

" _X-72_ Galactic Wrench," Rosalina corrected before walking into the store. Upon entry, a little bell would ring as Rosalina walked onto the white tile floors, "Smells...woody."

"That's because it's a store for tools and stuff?" Daisy shrugged as she walked inside, "That's pretty norm to me. I come in here all the time for when I need a tool or something."

Rosalina looked around, and began wandering. "Tools tools...toooooools….where are you?"

"Ugh, they're not star babies, Rosie," Daisy snarked which made her smirk. "It's not like they're gonna walk out towards you."

Rosalina, with her head in the clouds, didn't listen as she marveled the sheer array of tools, nuts, nails, and bolts. "These wouldn't last a day on my ship," she giggled.

This made Daisy roll her eyes. It's not like she could get too angry at the poor girl, she was new to everything. However, something suddenly caught the eye of the flower princess. "Oh come on…" She took a few steps towards the line to get a better look. The line of people waiting to buy their items was massive, and winding around the entire front area of the cashier's stand. "Really? They only got one guy here at one register when there's a long as frick line? Who does that kinda stuff? What is everyone on a shroom break or something?"

Rosalina called out, waving her arm, "Daisy, psst, over here!"

Daisy looked over and saw the tall princess waving. "Hm?" She walked up to her. "Sup?"

She grinned, and pointed to a large wrench the size of a ruler that was black with red stripes. "There it is!" Without hesitation, she made a beeline for it.

"Woah, Rosie, slow down!" Daisy called after her as she followed her down the aisle.

Rosalina ran over to the black and red wrench, and reached to pick it up with her hand. Once she did, she closed her eyes in satisfaction and started trying to walk off. "Ok, Daisy. Let's-" she felt a sudden tug on the opposite end of the wrench, which caused her to stop in her tracks. "Hm?" She turned her head around to see who it was. "...Excuse me, who are…?"


	13. Wood Or Wood Not

Chapter 13: Wood Or Wood Not

The tugging on the other end came from a claw, one similar to one of Bowser's troops complete with spiked wristbands. Attached to said claw was a koopa. Koopaling to be exact. He was short like Larry, but had a rounder figure with one tooth, and a deep blue head of hair that floofed back in a puffy "V" shape. There was only one koopa who matched this description. "If you _must_ know, I'm Ludwig Von Koopa. And I need this wrench."

On the other end, Rosalina was confused, "...Why?"

"For things you wouldn't understand," the smug koopa said, "So, if you could just let go of it…"

Rosalina refused, "I know about you. You're evil," she glared at the Koopaling, "You won't be stealing this!"

"What? I'm not stealing it!"

All the shouting rang against Daisy's ears as she hurried up and ran after Rosalina. By the time she got there, she came to fully witness the situation, and looked at Ludwig. She clearly wasn't happy to see the guy, as she started tapping her foot on the floor, glaring at him, "So, more of Bowser's little miscreants are here?"

"Excuse you," Ludwig said back, "I happen to be the smartest, oldest, and generally all-around best koopaling. So reconsider your thoughts, please."

"Oh really? How about this. Instead of taking that asinine tone with me, how about you tell us what you're doing here," she folded her arms, waiting for an answer.

"What, do you two not have lives of your own? Do you _have_ to pry in on everything?" He simply shook his head, "I need this wrench in order to tighten the bolts on a new invention of mine."

"Which is…?" Rosalina asked quietly.

"Ugh, tell the world why don't ya-" he stopped to laugh, "Ha! Oh wait that's exactly what I want to happen anyway. You see, I'm a bit of a...musical buff as they say. I take interest in all forms of musical artwork that stem from a multiplicity of age old compositions that I now have stocked within my artistic repertoire in order to coalesce, and combine them in order to form the apex of audio entertainment," he finished with a smirk.

Daisy and Rosalina just exchanged blank looks of confusion at each other for a long minute, before turning to face Ludwig. "Wha…?"

Ludwig slapped his claw against his forehead, having let go of the wrench by now. "Ugh, I forgot who I'm talking to. I'm trying to build the world's greatest music player."

"...Oh, well why didn't ya say so?" Daisy asked, "What kinda instrument ya makin'?"

"It's a massive self-playing classical orchestra. I call it the Ludwig Mk III. Named after me, of course. It's going to be big!"

Daisy whispered to Rosalina, "Not as big as his ego." This elicited a giggle out of Rosalina, but Ludwig didn't think it was so funny. 

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, you _are_ excused for being rude to us!" Daisy said with a smirk, "Thanks, sweetie."

"Oh my lord…" Ludwig rubbed his claws against his temples, "Can you please just give me the darn wrench. What would you two need it for anyway?"

Rosalina spoke up. "Well….I need it to repair my ship so that I can get back home in space…"

Daisy spoke as well, "And hey, why aren't you looking to buy one somewhere else."

"That is because Bowser City never carries such goods because of the recently filed trade embargo against us. Due to Mushroom City manufacturing most of the world's products, we usually are not allowed to buy things. I mean, you have Toad's Factory, _and_ Wario's Factory. Both of which are near the Mushroom Kingdom and don't send products to us. Because of that, many places along Jr. Street within Bowser City has to make its own products but this...this Galactic wrench is something I need."

Daisy blinked as she went back to remembering the last Royal Summit. "Oh yeah. Toadsworth filed against ya'll. But because you guys never attacked Sarasaland, we couldn't legally force ya'll out, because you ain't done nothin'...yet," she glared at him as she finished that sentence.

"You can't touch me. I have my own coins and everything," Ludwig replied, "So ha!"

"But I need this wrench to get home…" Rosalina pleaded meekly.

Daisy came up with an idea. "So why don't you just let Rosie use it, and then take it when she's done?"

Ludwig shook his head. "Sorry. But I'm on a very tight deadline. This wrench is needed for a final adjustment that's due to debut at the Bowser City Opera House tonight. I'm gonna need it too."

"...Ok, then why don't ya just give it to Rosie when _you're_ done?" Daisy questioned.

"Also no can do." Ludwig said, "This is the one time the boss allows us to go out and buy things we may want. Roy and Larry get new games, Wendy gets makeup and that useless crap, Iggy gets more books to read, Lemmy usually doesn't get much because he's happy with his circus balls, but on occasion he will buy the occasional comic book. Let's see….Morton usually buys workout stuff like barbells, and I usually buy wood for my woodshop."

"Woodshop? I thought you said you was a music guy." Daisy said.

"I am, but I need special types of wood such as mahogany, oak, and spruce to experiment with different woods in order to build better instruments. Such as my apex one that I plan to unveil. But that's all besides the point." He pointed to the wrench in Rosalina's hands, "The point is, I need that tool, and unfortunately, you may not get it back as my boss doesn't allow us out much besides once a month."

"...So that means I would have to wait for a whole extra month...but my babies….they…" she sighed. "..I'm sure they'll be fine."

Daisy blinked, "Rosie wait what?!"

"...My home among the stars can last for a month without me. And if I'm too much of a bother to you Daisy, I'll leave your castle to go find a motel." She handed the wrench over to Ludwig, forcing a smile, "Here….have fun at your concert…."

Ludwig blinked as he slowly took the wrench back. "...You serious? This isn't a joke?"

Rosalina shook her head. "No. I wish you luck for you and your invention." She walked towards the exit, "Come on, Daisy. I'll begin packing my things if I must leave."

Daisy followed her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Uh-uh, sister. You ain't gonna stay in some shaggy hotel for a month. Feel free to stay at the castle."

"Really?"

"Yeah, girl. Come on. Let's get home, and see what we can do about this ourselves," Daisy said with a smirk.

"Oh...thank you." Rosalina replied as the two exited the hardware store.

Meanwhile, this left Ludwig alone with the wrench. Something...odd began to stir within him. As if it was going to make him sick but couldn't fight it. " _...What is this-what am I feeling? Do I….? Nah, this wrench is mine, and I need it more than_ _she does. Besides. It's just a simple month. It's not like anyone's gonna care."_ With his mind made up, Ludwig went to the register, and purchased the wrench with his blue coins. Afterwards, he walked outside, with something still nagging at him. _"She was really nice about it….but that's her choice. She gave it up, and it's mine now. I'll be rich and famous by tomorrow, and everyone will know the name of Ludwig Von Koopa!"_ He smirked to himself, not caring about how Rosalina felt as he went to catch up with his siblings.


	14. Reckless Fool

Chapter 14: Reckless Fool

Ludwig started walking down the street with the wrench he needed in a bag. He and his siblings had to get back to the Darkland-Bowser's Kingdom-before the day was over. It was at least a smart plan, as he didn't want the 7 Koopalings to raise suspicion from being there too long, and causing an uproar. Ludwig, being the oldest and most responsible of the bunch, was appointed to make sure everyone followed said rule, or else he would take a massive fall that...no one wanted to see. "Eugh…" Shuddering at the thought, he kept walking along the street until a crazed call rang against his ears.

"Hey, Ludwig!"

" _Oh for Bowser's sake…"_ he turned around to see a tall koopa with a green floof of hair that went straight up and out like a water-fountain-like shape with three points. The koopa also wore glasses over his crazy eyes, and had a lime green shell that matched his hair color. "Ignatius Koopa. What are you doing?" Ludwig demanded an answer.

Iggy ran over, wearing a black T shirt with Princess Daisy's face on it, and some words in quotations below it that read: "Walk out, or get knocked out!" The Koopa giggled crazily to himself. "Isn't Daisy's Kingdom fun?!"

Ludwig blinked at the shirt. "Ignatius you fool!" He used his magic scepter and magically lifted the shirt off of his younger brother with a blue aura, "Are you out of your mind? Do you wanna make us look like Daisy-lovers? We have a reputation to uphold!"

Iggy rolled his eyes, and magically took the shirt back with his own scepter, coating the shirt in a green aura, "You and your reputational crap. Always tryin' to be the kill to my joy, huh? The toothpaste to my orange juice. The gutter ball to my Turkey Streak." He adjusted his glasses, and put his shirt back on, "Ya get my point."

Ludwig shrugged. "Do what you want. I got what I wanted."

Iggy blinked and scrambled over to his brother's bag. "Hey what's in here?!" 

"You fool! Stop-!"

It was too late to try anything, as Iggy had already reached into the back, and found the black and red wrench. "...Really? A wrench? Dude, ya know I got-WAIT." He blinked as he took a closer look at the tag, "AN X-72! LUCKY DUCK!"

"Shhh!" Ludwig tried quieting him, "You're gonna attract unnecessary attention that no one wishes to bear witness to."

"Ugh, whatever…" Iggy shrugged, handing his brother back the wrench, "So where'd ya get it? Sounds like it must've been a fight to get a tool this good, huh?" he asked with a goofy grin.

Ludwig scoffed. "Pff. Nah. Rosalina gave it up so easily! Like candy from a baby, my dear brother."

Iggy tilted his head, unsure of what he meant. "Uh...ya mind explaining?"

"Oh. She needed this wrench to fix her space station or something. But I sweetly managed to talk her" He smirked smugly, "As always, no woman can resist the charms of Ludwig Von Koopa." He smirked, rubbing a claw back against his smooth head of hair for emphasis.

"Ugh." Iggy groaned, "You care about your face almost as much as Wendy does. I thought only girls do that…." A pause, then a wide grin crossed the crazy koopa's face. "Unless…."

In an instant, Ludwig held his magic scepter to his brother's nose, "Say it, and you'll become my next guinea pig for the next week. I always wondered if it was possible to turn a koopa into toilet paper…"

"Uh, Riiiight…" Iggy just pressed his finger on the scepter head, and pushed it away nonchalantly. "Anyway, you said Rosalina? Space girl? Here? And _you_ managed to charm _her?_ " He questioned, "Sounds like a load of crap."

"Ugh, you fool." Ludwig rolled his eyes. "She took note of my situation, and offered the wrench up. Sure, she's staying at Daisy's place, but eh, she's a goddess, right? She'll find a way."

"Um….she said she needed it to fix the space station?"

"Yeah, but eh, what do I care?" Ludwig shrugged, walking ahead of Iggy with the wrench in the bag. "Tomorrow, I'll be famous, rich, and be the toast of every Kingdom. From Darkland to Mushroom Kingdom, they'll love me, and my invention!"

"...Sounds like Ms. Rosa needed that wrench to get home, bro," Iggy said, "Ya don't care at all?"

"..." Ludwig seemed to pause at that. He looked down at the wrench in the bag, and seemed to stare at it for a bit.

"Uh…" Iggy poked his brother with a finger, "Ludes?"

Ludwig didn't seem to respond at all. He just kept walking, and said one thing, "Get to the Koopa Car by 11PM, Ignatius," and kept walking, seemingly stuck on something.

Iggy frowned, and shouted. "Ugh, Ludwig, sometimes you can be a frickin' selfish egocentric prick, ya know that!"

Ludwig didn't respond, and kept walking forward.

Iggy made up his mind, and slammed his fist into his open claw, "Gotta make this right…."

Meanwhile, at Daisy's castle…

"So ya sure you'll be fine here for a month. Trust me." Daisy said to Rosalina who was lying on the couch. She was a little sad that she wouldn't be able to go home so soon, but felt like she did a good deed.

"It's...alright." Rosalina said, nonchalantly taking a sip of Mushroom Cola from a can.

"You sure?"

"...Yes."

"..." Daisy sighed. "...Ok. Drible's cooking fried chicken!" she said with a grin, hoping to cheer up her friend.

"That's nice," came a soft reply from the space goddess.

"..." Daisy sighed, and walked away from her, and into the hallway along the red carpet. "Poor girl. Ugh..what a way to end up. But eh, selfish butt kid is selfish." She shrugged, and made her way upstairs into her room.

Without warning, the sudden sound of something splashing was heard from her backyard pool. Daisy looked out of her bedroom window to see something green out there… "Woah!" In a flash, Daisy got up, hustled down the stairs, and opened the sliding door outside to her pool. "Hold on!" She tossed off her shoes, and dove into the water, swimming around as her cheeks puffed out with held breath. After a bit of searching, she looked around and saw a pair of googly eyes with a snorkel staring her dead in the face.

"HEY!"

"AIIIE!" Daisy nearly jumped out of her skin-but instead she quite literally, jumped out of the pool, and found herself holding onto the umbrella that was attached to her summer lawn table. "WHAT IN THE ACTUAL-"

Iggy rose up from the water, wearing a black snorkel, "Hello!" 


	15. Alternatives

Chapter 15: Alternatives

Daisy sighed as she got down from the umbrella. "Oh, it's you….wait, what are you doing in my pool?!"

"...Crap." Iggy held up his scepter and shook it, "My stupid wand ran outta mana." He shrugged, "But anyway, I've come to help!" He said, coming out of the water.

"...Help?" Daisy asked, somewhat afraid of what he meant.

"Ludes givin' ya trouble? Iggster to the rescue!" He said triumphantly.

"...OH." Daisy grinned, walking up to him. "You got an idea to help us out?" 

"Well...sorta." Iggy snickered and walked up to her door, "Ya got a comp, right?"

"Uh...oh, a computer?" Daisy blinked, "Uh, sure. I got my laptop."

"HAHA! Perfect! Come on!" The koopa grabbed Daisy's arm, and ran with her inside.

"Woah!" she followed him inside, but planted her foot on the ground to stop them both. "Shhh!" She pointed to the living room where Rosalina was, "Be quiet, eh, boy?"

Iggy blinked, tilting his head to look around the corner. "Sorry….where's your laptop?"

"Upstairs. Shhh…" she lightly walked up the staircase that led to her room, with Iggy following close behind. Once they got there, Daisy led him inside and sat on her orange floral bedsheets. "Normally, I don't let anyone in my room, but since we're helping a friend…."

The crazed koopa was astounded by the sheer amount of orange everywhere. Orange carpet, orange bedsheets, orange everything. His eyes even displayed oranges, until he rubbed them with his claws. "Jeez. I'm gonna turn into an orange at this rate."

"Sorry. It's mah thing." Daisy said as she typed up some things on her computer. It wasn't long before she found it. "Here we go. X-72 Galactic Wrench. Hm…" she looked over the webpage. "Dangit. Says they're sold out everywhere."

"Pff. Who needs that?" The bespectacled Koopaling cackled to himself, "All I gots to do is get a blueprint of the thing, and I can make one myself! Haha!"

"You can what now?"

From the side, Iggy pressed a few buttons on the laptop, and seconds later, said blueprint for the wrench would be printed out from a printer on Daisy's computer table. In an instant, the Koopaling was over there next to the machine, and tore the blue document from its mouth. "Haha! I can work with this! I just need four hundred pounds of zinc, twenty pounds of stardust, an ounce of uranium, and space to work my magic!"

Daisy blinked. "I got some scrap metal, old kart parts, and an aged Gold Flower in my garage."

"..." A pause, then Iggy would grab ahold of his sides while laughing. "Even better! Let's go!" Once again, just like before, Iggy grabbed ahold of Daisy's arm, and started rubbing.

"Woah!" Luckily she had already shut her laptop closed and set it aside by the time the Koopaling pulled her again. "Really?!"

Iggy wasn't listening one bit, and kept running with the princess in tow until they reached the garage downstairs. It was a standard looking garage with two driveways for cars. However, because Daisy rarely parked her car inside, most of it was reworked. There was a billiards table on their left side, with pool cues along the walls. Next to that was a foosball table, in which the handles looked heavily worn on both sides. Along the walls behind the table top games was an old bookshelf containing her favorite reads, atop which was a boom box, and a stress ball. Meanwhile on the left side, there was an air hockey table, and next to that was everything Daisy told Iggy about: Her old kart parts and scrap metal.

Completely ignoring all of the table top games, Iggy ran straight for the box of old metal, and went digging through it. "WOAH!" He started sniffing them, "How could you keep this amazingly missed potential down here?! This is more than enough! Now, where's that Golden Flower?"

Daisy, being the strong gal that she was in comparison to most others, lifted up a small box, and walked over, setting it on a nearby table. "Here we go." She dropped it on the table forcefully. "It's aged, so if it breaks, it don't matter." As expected, the gold flower was in pieces. Perfect for experimentation size. "So, Iggster. Why exactly are ya doin' this?"

"I'll be honest…" Iggy sighed, taking off his glasses. His eyes became a bit lazy without them, and once they were off, he reached into his shell, and grabbed a cleaning cloth to wipe the lenses clean. "Ludwig told me about what he did to get that wrench. Said he charmed it out of Rosalina. But knowing that egocentric piece of Koopa Krap," he put his glasses back on, looking right at Daisy. "he guilt tripped her didn't he?"

"Well, sadly kinda. I wanted to break the little bugger's nose, but didn't for a couple reasons. Highest of which was that Rosie seemed fine giving it up, even if she had to stay here for a bit longer," Daisy replied.

Iggy shook his head. "You honestly think he's gonna give that thing back when we're allowed back here?" He turned around and sat on top of the table, "Ludes has always been about himself. 'Capture the princesses this,' or 'Do as I say,' that. It's just…..so darn annoying it's almost funny. And I know funny. But this isn't funny. He just cares about himself, his fame, us doing our jobs, and wants us to impress Bowser. I mean, not even Wendy- _Wendy!_ Not even _she's_ as bossy. Heck, it's been numerous times where me and my brothers do stuff for her just to get away from that selfish prick. It's that bad. Not even Roy messes with him." The koopaling covered his eyes with his claws, "And Bowser as my witness-I'll be darned if I let some poorly cobbled together pretender-" he played dead for a split second upon the table, and rose out of an invisible grave like a zombie, "Ludes is like a freakin' zombie that's presented to us as if he was still alive. But instead of being easily to kill he's _annoying_ to try and take down." He then exited the zombie-like state. "Just...my older brother's an unfair idiot sometimes, and I wanna help."

Daisy blinked. Her mind had slowed down like the Excess Express as if it had crashed into a wall as she processed what she was told. "..Huh. I guess...I appreciate that. But you don't care that Peach is my best friend?"

"Look. My bros already told ya. We ain't got no issue with you or your kingdom. And Peach...well she's a whole 'nother can of Wigglers."

"...Yeah, and let's not open them either," Daisy agreed. "So you think you can work with this stuff here?"

Iggy smirked and reached into his shell. Suddenly, an entire chemistry set was on the table complete with test tubes, beakers, and that swirly tube thing. "Aha! I always loved bubbly stuff! Just get me what I need sister, and I'll handle the rest!"

"...Just to make a wrench?"

Iggy pulled out a metal tin from his shell. "I'll just burn the shape of the wrench onto this, and make a mould! Ya got a blowtorch and welder mask?" Daisy pointed to said items that were on a shelf above Iggy. "Perfect! Let's get started up in here! Up in here!"

Daisy grinned, and joined in. "Time to make a whole new tool. Up in here! Up in here!"

They both exchanged a round of laughter as they got to work...


	16. Watch Out!

Chapter 16: Watch Out!

After a while, Iggy and Daisy had donned white lab coats, and were both wearing a set of safety goggles. On the table in front of them, beakers were bubbling, and test tubes were marked with numbers to differentiate between them. The two looked over their notes, and looked at each other.

"So...uh...what exactly did you do here?" Daisy asked. 

"Eh? I don't know." Iggy shrugged with a wide grin, "Each tube's got its own set of ingredients and stuff. We just gotta drop some gold flower dust in the tubes and see what happens. Here." He handed the princess a small squirter that resembled a turkey baster. "Use this."

"Eh? Boy, we ain't stuffin' no turkey," Daisy laughed at her own joke.

"No, no, no. In that squirty thingy is the gold flower dust. I need you to pump some into each testing tube so we can, well, test it!"

"Ohhhh. Alrighty." Daisy smirked, and began concentrating. She stuck her tongue out as her hand shivered with the baster above the first test tube that was filled with purple liquid. "Here...we…." a single drop of gold and…

 _BAM!_

A loud explosion of purple, that was visible from the outside of the garage went off, sending dust flying everywhere! Both Daisy and Iggy started coughing as they were right in the middle of a giant dust cloud.

"What _was_ that?!" she screamed.

"I…think...that might've been Bob-Omb chemical reactive…"" Iggy gave a nervous chuckle.

By the time the dust cleared, Daisy's hair would be blasted backwards in a straight line over her head. "..." She froze, not even wanting to look up at herself. "Iggy….how's my hair look?"

"Uh...you got a nice flat look…?" he answered anxiously.

"..." Daisy quickly ran over to a nearby mirror and looked herself over. "THE HECK DID YOU DO?!"

"Calm down. Calm down." Iggy waved his magic wand at her, cleaning her up, and reverting her normal, and cleaning the soot from her body. "I got your back."

"Ok, good, because don't nobody mess with the merch, ok?" Daisy folded her arms, walking back over to the table, "Hair too good to be messin' up."

"Yeah yeah...so the purple one didn't work. How about the blue one?" Iggy suggested.

"Ugh...as long as it doesn't blow my shirt up or something…" she squeezed the baster over the blue test tube, causing a blue waft of air to puff into her face. "..Brrr…" she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm up. "Chilly…."

"Hm...guess the ice flower doesn't work either."

Daisy sneezed, "A-choo! Ok, maybe something that doesn't mess my heart u-a...a..choo!" she rubbed her nose.

Iggy waved his wand at her, warming her up again. "Ok, ok, ok. Try the-" Before he could finish that sentence, Daisy shoved the baster in his face.

" _You_ try the next one. I'ma...uh...get us some drinks." Without waiting for a reply, she ran inside. "Whew...that koopa's crazy...but helpful."

"What Koopa?" The tender voice of Rosalina asked from the couch in the living room.

Daisy, meanwhile, answered her from the fridge in the kitchen. "Uh, just, ya know…...no one." Daisy kicked the fridge closed with her foot as she carried two Mushroom Cola cans in her hands.

Rosalina looked up at her from the couch. "Who's the other one for?"

"Uh, I get real thirsty!" She replied, and quickly ran towards the garage.

"Oh...ok…" Rosalina slumped back down on the couch, going back to watching her show.

Once she was back out in the garage, Daisy took a deep breath. "Whew...that was a close one. Hey, Iggs, heads up!" she chucked one of the cans at him.

Iggy meanwhile, held a bubbling test tube in his claw. "I got it!" But it was quickly knocked out of said claw when the soda can hit him in the head.

In a slow motion fashion, the test tube would slowly fall to the ground, causing Daisy's eyes to widen with fear as she dove to catch it like she would a baseball. "NOOOOOO…."


	17. Slow Down

Chapter 17: Slow Down

Daisy had dove to try and grab the tube of pink liquid, but it was too late. She fell flat on her face as the test tube's liquid spilled all over her head. "Ow." Getting up from the ground, the brunette dusted herself off, and stood up. "Ugh…"

Iggy tilted his head to one side. "Ya feel anything different?"

"Hm...no. Why? Was that supposed to cause some-" she suddenly felt a very tingly feeling within her stomach. "...Oh jeez, I think something's wrong. Maybe I shouldn't've had that burrito for lunch…" By now, she was on her knees, clutching her sides tightly with both arms.

"Uh-oh...I remember the X-72 being able to tighten anything you need in a quick amount of time. So I may have added….Bullet Bill exhaust…" Iggy admitted sheepishly.

"What so that means-" but before Daisy could finish her sentence, her legs seemed to be moving on their own with a blur, "Whaaaaa?!" And in an instant, she was nothing but a speedy blur, bursting with speed, and slammed through the garage door with her body shape left in the hole she went through. "Heeeeeelp!"

"Frick!" Iggy ran outside to see Daisy running like crazy all around her yard. "Uh...uh…"

"Iggy you idiot! Help me!" Daisy shouted as she kept running helplessly.

"Ok ok! Um...hold on…" Iggy pulled out his wand again, and tried thinking of a spell to save her. "I got it!" With a wave of his wand, magical shapes flew out from it in a green aura, headed right for Daisy.

Unfortunately, it would be too late, as Daisy ran past it, and out of the way of the spell before it could reach her. It instead, hit a Wacka that had been digging in her yard.

"Huh?" Iggy approached the Wacka, and scowled, "Get outta here! Git! Git!" He bopped it on the head one good time, making it retreat into the ground, and leaving a Wacka Bump behind. "Cool!"

"Uhhh….Igggyyyyyy…..a littllllle helllllp!" Daisy was now running around a tree nearby.

"Ok, ok, I gotcha!" Shooting the same magic spell from his wand, the magic would float over to her...and miss once more. By the time it reached her, Daisy had already sped away from the tree, and the spell hit a falling peach from the tree. Once it hit, the peach would slow to a crawl as it fell at a lethargic speed. "Ooh…." The koopa was entranced by the slowly falling fruit, and bent backwards underneath it while walking. "Dodgin' like Neo…."

"YOU GET YOU SPIKY KOOPA BUTT OVER HERE! AND HELP ME NOW!" The princess shouted loud enough to bust an eardrum. This certainly got Iggy's attention as he ran over to her.

This time, Daisy was slowing down slightly due to how much energy she had expended while running all of that time. Now, it would be easier to get her to stop. "I got it! Aha!" The same magic spell with a green aura, and boom! It made contact right with Daisy, and slowed her down to normal.

"Ugh...woah…." now, she was extremely dizzy from all of the running, and could barely stand up. As well, she wasn't keeping track of where she was going, and eventually landed face first into a mud puddle that was in her yard. "..."

Iggy ran up to the mud covered princess, and knelt by her side. "Daisy! Daisy! You alright, there?!" She seemed motionless, which threw him into a panic. However, after a moment or two, the dirty face of the princess looked up at him.

"..." With one simple motion, she rubbed the mud off her now indignant face. She merely uttered three words. "You better run…."


	18. Mercy Rule

Chapter 18: Mercy Rule

Iggy took a few steps back while waving his claws around apprehensively. "Now now, Daisy...there's no need to get riled up...accidents happen, ya know...hehe…"

"Accident?! Oh, sure…" She stood up, her clothes drenched in brown mucky water and dirt. "Look at me! You know how long it's gonna take to get my clothes clean?"

"Well, I can just-"

She bent down to his level and got right in his face, "No. Look. I am gonna go take a shower, and _you,_ " she poked him on the chest, " _you_ are gonna fix this yourself and when I get back it better be ready, understand?!"

Iggy gulped, as he cringed beneath the sapphire eyes of the muddy princess. Crazy he may be, by stupid he was not. He knew full well that Daisy could easily destroy his shell with one kick, not to mention the fact that now was not the time for arguing. Because of that, he simply complied with a nod. "...Y-yes...I'm...s-sorry…."

Daisy could see the Koopaling practically shaking with fear, and softened up her facial expression to try and comfort him. "...Look...sorry." She sighed, "I just hate it when my clothes get dirty….for no real reason anyway."

Iggy was relieved to see her a bit less...angry. "It's cool. I just need to focus a teensy bit more…"

"More like a lot more," Daisy put bluntly, "but that don't mean ya ain't a good kid for at least _tryin'_ to help me out."

The Koopaling smiled at this. "Thanks."

"No big." She shrugged, and walked towards the garage. "I'ma head up so I can shower. Probs be about fifteen, maybe twenty, kay?"

Iggy slowly followed behind her, and climbed up to a stool that was near the experimentation table, and put his lab coat back on. "Alrighty!"

With a nod, the dirty monarch walked back inside her castle. "Ew…"

Soon after, the shower would start running and Iggy was still stuck in the garage trying to figure out the proper materials to make the wrench out of. "...Dangit. Iggy, you're losing it here. Come on, come on…" he looked at his watch, "Ok. Got a few more hours before Ludes is gonna hunt us down." He jumped off of the stool, and started to pace the floor, "Come on...I need...something, and I need it now. Hm…" His eyes glanced towards the rest of the test tubes, There were three left: Orange, yellow, and red. "Well…"

Once again, Iggy hopped back onto the stool, and looked over the remaining tubes of liquid. "When in doubt…" he looked at an empty beaker, and grinned. "MIX 'EM ALL!" With that, he just threw everything together into the beaker, and even made some more liquids to toss in, all while laughing maniacally. "AHAHAH!"

Meanwhile, the flower princess had finished taking her shower. Now, she was wearing an orange bath robe with her signature flower symbol on one side, and a pair of orange slippers that matched with each having the same symbols. "Hm...I wonder if Iggs is done." She decided to do just that, and took her time walking down the stairs. "Whew…" she exhaled deeply, "Dat cool after-shower air, though."

The sound of cackling would ring against her ears as she walked. Something was going on in her garage. Daisy began to think to herself. _"Either Iggy was doing something right or…...or…..hopefully he's just doing something right."_ She shuddered at the thought of whatever that crazed koopa could be doing to her stuff. Slowly but surely, Daisy opened the door that led to her garage, somewhat afraid of what she might see.

There he was. Iggy Koopa was holding up a perfect compound of red and black, laughing cockily to himself. "Ahahahah! Iggy Koopa does it again!"

He was fine. That was a relief. This is what ran through Daisy's mind as she walked out to him in the garage. "Yo. Sounds like it worked, eh?"

"YUP!" Without hesitation, the crazy koopaling poured the liquid into the wrench mould. "Now we just gotta wait 15 hours, and it'll be guuuud! Brand new X-72 Galactic Wrench! Haha!" 

Out on the streets, two figures were listening in on what they heard from Daisy's garage. Clearly, they were interested in what they were hearing from the extremely loud koopaling, but they remained hidden…

Back in the garage…

"Awesome-sauce!" Daisy cheered, "So...fifteen hours. Guess you'll be gone by then, huh?"

A sigh came from Iggy as he rubbed his arm. "Yeah...Ludes is such a pain in the shell. But I have a bit of free time until then."

"Hey, I don't mind if ya stay, sweets." Daisy smiled at him, "Wanna watch a movie or something and eat some _extremely_ unhealthy stuff Drible won't let me?" She scoffed, "I'm supposed to be on some kinda 'diet,'" she said with air quotes, "But, pff, screw that. Does this bod look like it's gonna end up like Peach's anytime soon? No it ain't, son."

Iggy just snickered, "Well, maybe that's why Peach makes so many cakes. It's cuz she wants to gain weight but Toadsworth's probably like, 'Noooope!'" his snickering turned into more cackling as the two walked inside the house.

Meanwhile, the two figures eyed up the garage.

"Look at all that cool stuff...foosball table, pool table, Pac-Man arcade machine!"

"Shush, you fool. We're here to take that X-72, thing. Once it hardens, we can sell it for a fortune!"

"Why don't we just call up the boys and have them come take the other stuff too?"

"Ugh, fine...but first the wrench…."

And so they waited for the right time to strike. All the while, hiding in bushes across the street. No one suspected a thing...


	19. Teamwork

Chapter 19: Teamwork

The entire time the two had been working, Rosalina had been staying on the couch watching TV. At one point, however, it had gotten to be a bit much. So she decided to turn it off, and catch some rest in her room. Along the way there, she passed by Daisy who was walking towards the very same place she was coming from.

"Rosie? Where ya goin?" she asked.

"Just...upstairs. Watching TV isn't very healthy, so I'm going to go read for a while," came a calm reply from Rosalina.

" _Oh great. Is she gonna start next?"_ "That's...cool. I'm just about to head there myself. You gonna eat dinner later?"

"Yes. But for now I'll see you later." Without another word, the galactic princess made her way upstairs.

Iggy was standing behind her the entire time to hide. They were both unsure of how Rosalina would like to see anymore of the Koopalings after the incident at the hardware store earlier that day. "Man, she sounds pretty downtrodden. Hopefully that wrench will fix her mood as good as her ship."

"Yuip. But we gotta wait until it hardens." She shrugged and flopped down on the couch, "So whatcha wanna watch?"

Iggy shrugged and sat down on the couch with her. "Anything goes."

Meanwhile, as the two sat on the couch, the two hidden figures in the bushes started moving. A pair of Bandits. Black Elite Bandits to be exact. They were master thieves who were experts at stealing other's items and property. And now, they were after Daisy's…

"Alright, mate. Let's make this quick, eh? The boys are on their way as backup." One of them said.

"Yes sir," his partner replied. The two slowly walked underneath the bush in comical fashion as to keep their cover intact. They figured no one would suspect a roaming bush across the lawn, and everything was going as expected so far. By now, they had gotten close to Daisy's garage, but the door was closed.

"How are we gonna get in, boss?" the partner questioned.

"Like this…" with a twirl, the leader Bandit flung a grappling hook up to the window, shattering it with a loud _crash!_ "Quickly, mate, They might've heard that!" Both Bandits made their way inside…

Meanwhile, on the couch…

"...so that's Kammy Koopa's such a crab all the time," Iggy said to Daisy.

"Huh, I never-"

 _CRASH!_

"The heck was that?!" Iggy shouted.

Daisy visibly flinched at the sudden loud noise, and quickly rose to her feet. "The garage. Come on!" Without hesitation, she dashed her way out of the living room, and to the garage, getting there in no time flat it seemed.

Iggy followed as best as he could, but the koopa simply couldn't keep up with her. She was _fast_. Insanely so. By the time he got there, he opened up the door, and Daisy was standing there...motionless. "Uh, D….d-d-d-d-d…." he stuttered, looking at the same thing she was: Nothing.

Everything in the garage, the foosball table, the air hockey table, Pac-Man arcade machine-everything was gone. Literally the only things left behind were the bookshelves on one side of the garage. Other than that...everything was bare.

Daisy meanwhile was simply mortified at the sight before her. Everything she had gotten for herself was all gone. "..." This did not sit well with her one bit, as her expression turned dark. She looked at the ground while balling both of her hands into fists. The veins on her arms were visible at this point. This was the epitome of silent fury.

Iggy noticed this, and slowly backed away from her. This was a side of Daisy he did not want to experience first hand. _"Oh no. what do I do?! She's miiiiifffed! What happened? Why? Who? Where?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"_

Quick exhales of stress exited the mouth of the princess as she tried calming herself down. It was working...somewhat. "Whoever did this….is gonna pay. _Hard,_ " she muttered in an indignant tone.

"Uh...Uh...Um….I know!" Iggy pulled out a cell phone from his shell, grinning widely. "I got a plan!"

"I hope so…" Daisy muttered once more.

"Calm yaself, woman!" Iggy tried to comfort her with a sly smirk. "I'm a Koopaling. And when ya live around six brothers and a sister who constantly take your stuff, you learn how to take for yourself…" he started dialing numbers on his phone.

"Who you gonna call?" Daisy asked.

Iggy snickered. "Gho-!" Daisy glared at him with intense eyes before he could finish that sentence, coaxing a serious answer out of him. "Ok, ok. And, you'll see…" he smirked as his phone started connecting...


	20. Joint Operation

Chapter 20: Joint Operation

Daisy blinked, unsure of what to think of Iggy's methods. "Who's gonna help us here? And how do you even know who did this?"

Iggy pulled the phone away from his ear, "Judging by the amount of time in between we heard the broken window crash, and when we got here, it's obvious this was done by Bandits. Black Elite looks like it. Master thieves."

Daisy shuddered, "Dang… they seem like they can crawl around your house while you sleep and not make a soun-"

"Shhh. It's ringing!" After a moment or two, Iggy would get a response on his cell phone. "Ahem, hello?"

"Hello?" a deep voice called from the other end.

Clearing his throat, Iggy would then impersonate a Bandit's voice at perfect pitch, "Yes, you uh, got that wrench and stuff from Daisy's castle?"

"Yeah, who dis?"

"It's ya boss, fool! Get that stuff to the corner of Spruce, and Main street. Pronto!"

After a long pause, the Bandits on the other end would comply, "Gotcha," and hung up.

Daisy looked at him, "Uh...Iggs. What'd you just…"

Iggy smirked as he put his phone away. "Haha! I'm great at impressions! Now, I'm gonna ambush 'em when they go to drop off the stuff at Spruce and Main street," he started running off.

Daisy stopped him with a shout. "Wait! You want me to come?"

Iggy shouted back as he kept running, "Nah! I got this! Iggy Koopa to the rescue! Ahaha!" And without waiting for an answer, he ran off as fast as he could to where he told the Bandits to stop.

"Hm...hope he's ok…" Daisy sat down and waited.

One hour later…

By now, Daisy was trying her best to calm herself, but was bombing miserably. Troubled, she paced the driveway of the garage, waiting for the Koopa to return. "...Dangit where is he...that's it I'm going afte-"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

She was suddenly cut off by the sound of someone screaming nearby, followed by a loud _slam!_ "What the 'H'?!" In front of her, the green shelled koopa crashed into the ground, eyes rolling around in his head, and his shell cracked. "Iggy?!"

"Ugggh….ow…" his breathing slowed down somewhat as he tried to speak. "...Too many….couldn't…."

The monarch laid a hand upon the koopa's neck. It was easy to tell he would be ok, but he needed help. Fast. "DRIBLE. GET OVER HERE, NOW."

Within what seemed like a microsecond, her loyal undead servant was at her side. "Your, Highness?"

"Take Iggy to the Royal, uh...hospital...thingy." Having no need for the Royal Infirmary before, she didn't exactly know what to call it. Nevertheless, she handed Iggy over to Drible with trust.

Drible carried Iggy inside with a blur of quickness, with Daisy following.

Later…

Iggy woke up, bandaged in Daisy's personal hospital area, but quickly grew fearful. "Oh no...the chicken man...he got me….he's gonna use me for his tests! It's game over, man! GAME OVER!"

Stifling a chortle, Daisy walked into the room. "Nah. You were just hit hard. That was a nasty slam you took when you got here." She pulled up a stool, and sat next to him, "How ya doin'?"

"Um...I think I'm good. But…" he gasped, realizing what had happened, "Crap on a mousetrap! I didn't get your stuff back! Those stupid Bandits beat me up, and launched me on a catapult back to your castle. A catapult they stole!" 

Daisy sighed, "Look, I'm just glad you're ok, alright? Don't worry about it," she finished with a smile.

Iggy returned the smile, and blinked as a light bulb appeared above his head...and promptly dropped on his hair and lit up. "I got it! Reach into my shell and grab my phone!"

"Hm...ok." Reaching her arm down, Daisy dug through Iggy's shell, "Dang...what is all this...a slinkie?" she pulled out a spring toy, tossed it over her head, and went back to digging, "...a yo-yo?" she did the same with that, tossing it over her head as she went back in, "..." She took a pause as she pulled out a rubber chicken. "...I won't even ask." Once more, another random item thrown over her head until she felt something glossy and slim. "Got it!"

"Yeah! Haha!" Iggy laughed as he watched Daisy take out his phone, "Dial up Larry and Roy. They'll be useful!"

She followed his directions, pulled up Larry and Roy Koopa from the contact list, and dialed.

Meanwhile, with the two Koopalings were carrying bags of video games down the street when they both heard their phones ring.

"Hm?" Larry looked at his phone, "It's Iggy."

"Funny." Roy showed his brother his phone, "He's calling me too."

"I didn't know we had group calling," Larry said quizzically before swiping the screen of his phone to answer. "Hello? ….Uh-huh…..oh my gosh. We'll be right there!" Apparently this was urgent, as Larry hung up his phone and started running towards Daisy's castle, "Roy, come on!"

"What?!" Roy didn't quite understand what was happening. "Hey, wait! What the frick is happening?!"

"I'll tell you on the way. Just hurry!"

Back at the castle…

"So they said they'll be here," Daisy said to Iggy. "How long you think it'll take them to get-"

There was a sudden loud knocking at the door, to which Drible answered. "Yes? Oh, Mister Lawrence and Elroy Koopa?"

Both Koopalings exchanged confused looks with each other before walking into the hospital room.

"Ey!" Roy ran over to his bandaged brother's bedside, looking him over, "Who did this to ya?"

"Black Bandits…" Iggy said with a clearly irate scowl.

"What?!" Larry gasped, "Those are..those guys are top tier thieves! Why would you be tangling with them?!"

"Long story...guys, listen. These Bandits stole Daisy's garage stuff, and we need to get it back. Or...you two need to get it back. I can't walk after the injuries I sustained."

Roy balled his claws into fists. If there was one thing he didn't enjoy, it was seeing his siblings hurt by others. "Ain't nobody messes with my brother and gets away with it! We're gonna destroy 'em!"

"Yeah!" Larry chimed in, "Just tell us what we gotta do!"

"Hey, I'll help anyway I can, " Daisy added, "That wasn't cool how they treated you, _and_ we need that stuff back."

"So, where they at, Iggs? Huh? Tell me so I can pound their faces in!" Roy said, punching his fist into his open palm.

"Well, they're in a dark alley near the edge of the Kingdom near the desert and-" Unfortunately, Iggy was preempted, as Roy simply took that information and ran with it. Literally.

"Haha! Perfect! I'll be back when I've pounded every single one of them for hurtin' my bro!" he laughed and made his way towards the door.

Larry stood in front of him. "Dude, please. Instead of running off and getting hurt, can we actually think of a plan?" He started shaking his arms around, "I mean, these are Black Elite Bandits we're dealing with!"

"He's right. We should probably think of something before we just run out there. These guys are crafty," Daisy agreed.

"Alright, alright, fine…" Finally, Roy couldn't help but accept collaborating. "What's the plan?"

Iggy smirked and began explaining, "Here's the plan….."


	21. The Run-In

Chapter 21: The Run-In

The plan was all laid out. Everyone had taken their positions where they needed to be, in preparation for the storm upon the Black Elite Bandits hideout. It was fairly simple…

"You guys ready?" The still hospitalized Iggy said into a communicator headset.

"Pff, always ready to pound some face in." The cocky voice of Roy Koopa came in reply.

The smaller voice of Larry would speak next. "Yeah, we got this."

Both Koopalings were standing atop a roof. They had managed to scale the buildings across the city, and now they were ready to make their entry.

"Alright.." Iggy chimed in again, "You two gotta get through those air ducts, and get to the storage room where they keep their stolen stuff."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Roy said into his earpiece, "Can we just hurry this up?"

"Shh!" Larry shushed him, "We can't take another hit on our record, man. If someone finds out we're robbing someplace in Sarasa, we're screwed for ever coming back."

"Uh, do ya'll forget who ya'll helpin'?" Daisy suddenly spoke into her own earpiece, as she sat in her car across the street, "I'm the princess. I can easily stick up for ya'll if I had to."

"Wow, that's cool…"

"Anyway…" Iggy spoke up, "Remove the panel from the vent, and start making your way in. Larry, since you're smaller, you can fit through. Roy, you'll have to keep watch from the outside."

"Heeey, you callin' me fat?!" Roy snarled.

"Shhh! Dude, come on, keep it down," Larry pleaded. The blue shelled Koopaling started undoing the panel that rested on the air vent next to him. "Alright…" With a metallic clang, the square grate came off of the panel. 

"Larry, you're gonna lose communication when you get down there," Iggy warned him, "The Black Elite Bandits prevent any use of electronic communication to prevent accidental dialing of the police."

Larry nodded once, as he grabbed the rope that he would use to lower himself inside. Then, something confused him about how unclear his brother was. "Wait, so how'm I gonna lose contact?"

"Oh, uh...there's a jammer device planted within the wiring of the building. No contact inside," Iggy said, "It's all on you, buddy."

"..." Those words. Those three words…. _"All on me?"_ On the inside he couldn't help but beam with excitement as he realized this mission depended heavily upon him. However, he knew he had to stay focused, and cleared his mind. "Alright." A brown rope formed into a knot around his waist. "Roy, here," he handed his pink shelled brother the end of the rope. "When I pull twice, that means I've made it in, and you'll need to lower me."

"Uh…" He took the rope in his claw, "Sure. I got it. Don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Yup." Roy smirked, "Now get down there, half-pint!"

Larry rolled his eyes at the poorly attempted insult, and climbed into the vent. It was cold, dark, and before he really moved anywhere, there was a steep drop from the curved top portion he stood. "..." A bead of sweat ran down the side of his blue star birthmark as he looked down. "Um…"

"Get on with it!" Roy yelled before forcefully pushing the small koopa down the vent.

"Yaaaaaa!" To say the least, he was very much surprised by being pushed down the dark vent. The creases within the metal along the malls seemed to whiz by as if they were never there. It was all a blur as Larry fell down for what felt like forever to him…

Roy snickered to himself as he watched his brother fall. To him, he enjoyed the harmless prank here and there, but wasn't going to let him smash his face open. "Aaaaand, stop." He quickly tugged on the rope.

In an instant, Larry would stop falling and come face to face with the cold vent floor. His snout was mere millimeters away from it as he shivered. "Very funny." He shook his head and waited for his brother to loosen up. Once he did, Larry started crawling through the vent, inching forward as he put one forearm over the other.

"Alright, he's in." Roy said over his headset, But if anything goes wrong, I'm busting in there myself, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Iggy agreed, "Call me back if anything happens. I gotta rest from when they beat me up. I mean, I thought the chicken man was bad but-"

"Wait wait wait...chicken man?"

"Yeah, ya know. The guy that hides in your closet and watches you sleep."

"Uh, that's the Boogie Man, Iggs."

"Ohhhh. See, I couldn't tell the difference mainly because people say he was crazy. And when they say crazy, naturally I think of a chicken with no head-"

"Why would you think of a chicken with no head?"

"Because they run around like crazy?"

"Oh well that-"

"Would you two fools shut _up_?!" Daisy yelled over her earpiece, causing both Koopalings to flinch and immediately take it off of their heads.

"Ow! Ah! Jeez, sorry!" Roy apologized.

"It's times like this when I know I need sleep." Iggy said before promptly falling over and softly snoring.

"...Iggy? Hello?" Daisy called back.

"No dice, sister." Roy said back, "Iggs only wakes up when we need 'im."

"Hm...oh well." She shrugged, and slumped back in her car.

Roy snickered to himself and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Daisy."

"Yo."

"Whatcha wearin'?"

"..."

There would be a long pause over the comm line, until Roy would suddenly feel a rock hit him in the forehead. "Ow! Oh come on, ya gotta admit it was worth a shot!" 

Daisy laughed, "Ha! You're lucky I'm not Peach!"

"..." That seemed to actually choke Roy up, "...What would she do…?"

" Let's just say…you'd better hope that you don't want kids of your own."

"..."

Meanwhile, in the vents….

Larry continued crawling along the vent, humming a tune to himself. "Do do do-do-do do do _do._ " He snickered, "Liquid Larry on the scene…." he put his claw up to his earpiece-even though it wasn't working inside-and made like he was speaking to a Headquarters, "Liquid Larry's gonna get the goods, control base. If I don't come back, tell my wife and kids, I love 'em both." He couldn't help but giggle to himself. He was waving too much fun.

After a bit more crawling, the Koopaling would come across another grate like the one up top. But this one led into a room below itself. A room that was lit up, and had a table in the middle. A gambling table to be exact. Around said table were Black Bandits-four of them with one on each side of it, each holding a hand of cards. Apparently this was their base.

"...!" Larry quickly put a claw over his mouth as his eyes looked around the room. All around were bags of stolen items, and whatnot. At the far end of the room, was a blocky metal door. The likes of which that could only be opened with Mario's Metal Hammer, or...a keycard. _"Ok...so there's four of them. Now I need to figure out how to deal with 'em...hm…..I got it!"_

As he started to make his plan, the rusty frame of the vent started to slowly creak under his weight...


	22. Imminence

Chapter 22: Imminence…

Larry grinned to himself as he started to reach in his shell for something. _"This'll be perfect!"_ Unfortunately, his weight caused the metal of the vent beneath him to crumble, but unfortunately, the excitable Koopaling was unaware of this. "Heheh…."

Down below, the four Bandits were still playing cards at their table, when one of them started looking around.

"Eh? You alright there, Bob?" Their leader, a Bandit that was somewhat taller than them, asked. 

The one referred to as "Bob," looked at the leader, "Uh, yeah I'm fine, boss. Just thought I heard a creak noise."

"Creak noise? That don't sound normal…" the leader placed his cards down and got up from the table to check whatever it was that was up there. "Hm.." By now, the entire vent had a dent in it that was increasing every so slightly. "Get the ladder."

Inside the vent, meanwhile Larry had put on a black stealth suit that clung to his body like suction cups. Even the spikes on his shell didn't rip through as the material was durable and stretchy. "Alright...time to-" Suddenly, he would come face to face with the mask of a Bandit, staring right at him. "..."

And just as quick as the mask appeared in front of Larry, it suddenly disappeared, leaving him speechless and confused. Then, without warning, the entirety of the room below him went dark and silent. Eerily so. Nothing made a sound, and nothing seemed to move…

"What the-" after too much, the vent finally gave out, dropping Larry into the room, "Woah!" The only thing that kept him from slamming his head on the table was the rope that was still attached to his body. Panicking, he wrapped his claw around the rope and gave it the sharpest of tugs to let his brother know he was in danger.

Meanwhile, back up top, Roy was holding the rope, and waiting for anything to happen. "Come on..come on, bro…." And then, boom. He felt his brother tugging on the rope, and blinked, "I got ya!" Without hesitation, the pink shelled Koopaling used all of his strength to pull his brother up. _"Heh, good thing I've been hittin' the gym more. I can get him up in one single-..."_

At the end of the rope...was nothing. Nothing. Roy stared at the piece of cut rope for about a minute as his expression of arrogance turned into fear. "...L-larry? Larry?" He muttered his name a few times before realizing what was going on.

His brother was taken.

"Larry!" Roy shouted into the vent, "Bro, can ya hear me?!" No response came to him. This had him worried more than he had ever been in a while. Nothing shook up Roy more than his siblings' lives in danger. He knew he had to do something. "Guys...GUYS!"

The shouting into his earpiece woke up Iggy Koopa on the other end, who was still in the hospital room of Daisy's castle, and Daisy herself who was startled by the noises.

"Ahh! Take the cheese! It's yours!"

"Wha? Huh? Who in the heck woke me up?!" Daisy put her headset on, "Roy, this better be-"

"Larry's gone! They took him! I know it. Ooh, those sneaky sons of….wait'll I get my claws on 'em!"

"Roy, wait!" Iggy shouted, "Don't just barge in! It's a trap!."

"...I am _not_ about to leave my baby brother stranded there. Now _ya'll_ better listen. Because this is what we're about to do…"

Meanwhile, inside…

Larry was trying his best to see in the dark, but quickly gave up. Instead, he brought out his magic wand, and used it as a makeshift torch with a flaming blue aura. "Here we go. Now I can finally see in here." A small path would be illuminated for him to walk ahead within the room. The same bags of items were still there, and the vault. "Haha!"

The little Koopaling ran over to the massive steel door in the wall, and looked over to the right. There was a passcode lock that required a keycard to get past. This made Larry furious. "Aw, come on," he folded his arms, "Does everything have to be stupid lockdown?" He put two fingers up to his malfunctioning earpiece, "Looks like Liquid Larry's gonna be a while. Keep my seat warm at that breach, buddy." He giggled to himself again as he started to try and fool around with it, attempting to break it open.

That is when he heard a scampering noise through the darkness of the building. Someone, or _something_ was there…

"Hello?" Larry said. His voice cut through the silence like a knife through butter. Everything was completely hollow and empty. As if he was in a dark cave with no one around. "I got a wand that I ain't afraid to use!" He shouted into the nothingness of the building. The night sky outside made everything that much darker.

And then, it hit him. Larry looked at his watch, and noticed the time: 10:30 PM. Ludwig was going to be looking for them by now, so he had to hurry. "Come on, Larry. You got this. Just keep it together."

The pattering of quick footsteps continued to tap along the ground. Not only was Larry scared a little, but he was also annoyed by it, and wanted it to stop. "Ugh…" When he turned around, all he could see were several pairs of bright white eyes staring at him through the darkness. Eyes that felt to him as if they were staring right through him, and into his soul. "..."

Larry couldn't help but stare at the eyes watching him. His heart skipped a beat as he found himself frozen. However, something suddenly clicked within him that made him angry. It was as if the eyes were taunting him through the darkness and he wanted to prove he wasn't afraid.

"Alright, you asked for it!" He grabbed his scepter, creating a magical wave of blue fire from its end, as he charged the sets of eyes. "Face the wrath of Larry Koopa!" he screamed a battle cry as he ran forward.

Meanwhile…

Ludwig was walking down the street, and looking at his watch. "Confound it! Where are those, idiots?!" In the distance, he could hear the sound of Larry screaming, which prompted him to run, "What has that fool gotten himself into now?"

On the roof of the building…

Roy blinked as he heard his brother scream, and nearly crushed the earpiece that was in his claw. "...Ok you know what? Screw my plan from before! Daisy! Get in here and meet me inside now!"

"What?!" The princess yelled.

"You heard me. My brother's in there and we need a distraction! JUST DO IT NOW!" Roy shouted into his earpiece before throwing it on the ground and stomping on it under his foot. From there, he ran around to tie the rope to a nearby weather vane. "I'm comin' bro!" He backed up to the edge of the roof, and prepared to rappel down…

"..." Daisy sighed and got out of her car. "Coulda said please…" she started running towards the store herself, at the same time, she could see blue flames igniting the place from the inside….


	23. Savagery

Chapter 23: Savagery

"Yaaaaaaahhhh!" Roy shouted, as he swung from a rope. In less than no time he crashed through the glass window of the building, shattering it with ease. He landed with a quick roll, and took a knee on the ground. "Larry!" All around the building here blue flames that lit the area ablaze. While the place was lit up now, everything was in run as the building slowly burned blue.

"Come on! Come on, bring it on!" The sound of Larry's voice yelled from a back room.

Daisy herself ran in only moments later. "What's going on?!"

Roy stood up, running towards the sound of the voice her head. "This way, come on!" he beckoned for her to follow, "Larry always uses blue fire. But if there's this much, someone must be attackin' him!"

"What?! We gotta hurry!"

"No." Roy said, almost defensively, "You go get your stuff from that vault. _I'll_ save my brother." And without waiting for an answer, he took off into the other room, leaving Daisy by herself.

She looked over and found the vault door. "...Dangit. This ain't gonna be easy."

Meanwhile…

Larry was panting heavily at this point. All of his attempts to land a hit upon his target were failures, as his flame attacks only lit the place up even more. However, now he could see… "You. You….." he could barely keep going, "...come on…."

The Bandits all laughed at him, as their leader spoke.

"Hah! Look at you, puny little thing! Do you really think you can try and fight the Black Elite? Why don't you run along home?"

"Grrr…." Larry clenched his teeth, "You don't scare me!"

"Oh really?" The leader said smugly, "I've been in this game since before you was born. I was still kicking tail while you were playing dolls with your sister!"

That stung. Hard. He had to think of something to say in response. "...At least I care about my sister!"

"Like a wussy. You can't even stand up!"

As much as Larry hated to admit it, he was right. He could barely stand up, his scepter was nearly out of magic, and he was badly bruised. "Come on... I'll still fight you with my bare claws!" He stood up, and looked at them, "Grrr….rraaa!" He ran straight towards them, aiming to sock the Bandit right in the face.

Unfortunately, he was too tired to make any good hits, and the Bandit leader smacked him across the face hard enough to send him into the wall. "Idiot! You ain't got nothing on us!"

Roy finally stepped in the room, and saw what had happened. His brother, lying on the floor after slamming into the wall, the Bandit leader who hit him, and the fiery blaze around the room. The look on his face didn't change one bit. All he did was look down, and take out his own scepter. "How dare you...how dare you lay a hand on him…"

"Please," the Bandit leader smirked, "What are _you_ gonna do?"

"..."

Meanwhile, with Daisy, she was still having trouble with the door that led to her stuff. "Ugh, dangit! Why do they gotta lock up everything?" While she was focused upon that, a stray Bullet Bill suddenly whizzed past her head and slammed right into the door! "Ah!" Startled by this, Daisy leapt back, and covered her head behind a table. Once the dust cleared...she saw the door had been opened. "...Yes!"

Meanwhile, the resulting Bullet Bills flying around the store caused a chain of small explosions that could be heard by Ludwig. The eldest Koopaling was still running as fast as he could towards the sources of the sounds. _"Imbeciles. The lot of them. When the boss finds out, they are in a heap of trouble."_

Back at the store, Roy was using a shoulder-mounted Bill Blaster to fire Bullet Bills at the Bandits. "Take this you suckers! See how ya like these!" Naturally, Roy didn't care about aiming for two reasons: 1. Laziness. And 2, he knew the Bills would cause a lot of damage to their stolen stuff as collateral damage. So even if he didn't hit them, it'd be a win-win.

The Bandits, being the quick little masked menaces they were, easily dodged most of the Bullet fire. However, the entire building started to slowly crumble from the destruction that was before them. "Dangit!" their leader screamed, "Fall back, men!"

"But boss what about the st-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE STUFF. JUST GET YOUR TAIL MOVING!" With that, the four Black Bandits started fleeing. Par the course for their kind, as they always fled when they got what they wanted. Or in this case….when they valued their lives. Unluckily for them, however, Roy wasn't letting them off easy…

"Oh you think you can hurt TWO of my brothers and get away with it?!" He quickly followed the Bandits outside, where he flipped a switch on his Bill Blaster, "Sayanora." Smirking to himself, Roy fired the blaster, it only shooting one Bullet Bill out. Instead of the normal black coloration and angry eyes the other Bills had, this one was purple, had a smiley face on it, and a blinking red nose. It was a Homing Bill.

The Homing Bill chased the Bandits down, and when it got close enough…

Their leader noticed this, and looked behind himself. "...Well this st-"

 _BOOM!_

The Homing Bill slammed down on them, causing a much more massive explosion than the others. Roy laughed to himself, "Suck it." 

Ludwig finally made it to the building that was burning with blue flames. "What the flimflam? What is going on?!"

Moments later, Daisy emerged from the building, carrying Larry over her shoulder, and the wrench in her back pocket. "Oh boy, look who it is."

"...You." Ludwig glared at Daisy with narrowed eyes. "Put my brother down. Now."

"Excuse me?" She questioned authoritatively, "In case you haven't noticed, he's hurt real bad and-"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, look, whatever. Just hand him over. It's past eleven, and the rest of us are waiting."

Larry rubbed his head and slowly came awake from all the shouting. "Ugh...where am I?"

"In trouble. That's what."

"...Ludwig?" Larry jumped out of Daisy's arms and onto the ground. "I uh…"

"Late. You bumbling idiot. How could you be so careless. You know what our curfew is." Ludwig snapped.

"Uh...sorry…" Larry replied softly.

Roy had walked back to the group, and looked at Ludwig. "Oh….crap…"

"Oh you. You oaf!" Ludwig yelled at Roy, "Both of you. Look at all the damage you two caused. Now we'll be banned from Sarasaland because of you two!"

"Hey, can ya calm down? People are trying to sleep." Daisy said.

"Oh and what will _you_ do, hm? Make us all sit down and eat cake like a bunch of fat plumbers to try and solve our problem?" Ludwig scoffed, "This doesn't concern you, so kindly stay out of what isn't your business before you get too far." He turned back to his brothers, "Oh, and where is Iggy? Hm? Come on, I'm waiting for an answer."

"..." Daisy rubbed her temples. _"This kid here…"_ "Look, he's-"

"Did I ask you, Ms. Fly On The Wall?"

"...What did you call me?"

Ludwig continued, "You heard me. You're irrelevant, insignificant, and completely forgotten. Ever since Rosalina came around, no one gives a flying feather about you _or_ who you are. Even Rosalina's done more than you have. What have you done relevant? _Nothing_. Even as braindead as Peach is, she has more relevance than you. So stay out of my conversation, and I will not be asking you again."

"..."


	24. Too Far

Chapter 24: Too Far

Before Ludwig could continue speaking, one of the city's buses dropped off someone at a nearby bus stop. It was Iggy Koopa, still wearing the bandages from before. _"Couldn't just stay back and let all of this happen. Stupid slow bus. I hope nothing's…"_ He found himself staring at the charred building that was consumed in Larry's blue flame magic. By now it was nothing but smoldering ruin as the flames died down. "Huh?!" This made Iggy confused and somewhat afraid. He ran over, trying to understand what was going on.

"What the heck just happened?!" Iggy shouted as he came upon the group.

"Ugh, there you are!" Ludwig turned to his brother, "You're late! You're all late do _any_ of you know what it means to be punctual?!"

Daisy was starting to slowly lose her cool, and had to take deep breaths. She knew Ludwig was a child, and wasn't going to stoop to his level.

Iggy tried to comfort him. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down! Look, Daisy saw that I got beaten up when the Bandits took her stuff, so she healed me. We had to hurry and get her stuff back, and Larry and Roy wanted revenge."

"Yeah!" Larry added, "Calm your hair, dude!"

"Is that so?" Ludwig had apparently calmed down a little and approached Daisy, "I guess you're not-" he looked around her, and saw the wrench in her back pocket. "Wait. What is...that wrench! Where did you get it?!"

"I'm not telling you jack." Daisy replied bluntly, folding her arms.

Iggy meanwhile, tried to change the subject. "So how's about we get home, eh? Hehehehe….." he chuckled nervously.

Ludwig glared at Iggy. "Do you know something about this? Answer me."

"...Uhhh…"

"You know what happens when you lie. So cushion your blows by being honest."

"Uh...I helped her make it…" Iggy admitted with a small voice.

"...What? What?! WHAT?! How dare you help _her_ of all people?! Do you realize how much of a problem this could cause for our reputation?!"

Iggy simply couldn't take it anymore, and shouted back at him. "Well you didn't have to be a frickin' meathead, gashead, nerd who hates people, for no good darn reason you prick!"

Ludwig's eye twitched. Something he didn't tolerate, was insults being thrown at him. Especially since we was the oldest. Using his magic scepter, he conjured a blue hand that slapped Iggy across the face and into a wall.

"OW!" He slammed back-first against the wall.

"Call me out of my name one more time, I _dare_ you."

"Iggy!" Roy and Larry shouted in unison.

"Shut it!" He pointed his scepter at them both, "If you know what's good for you. Now come on, and let's go home."

"No." Daisy snapped at him, "You're gonna treat your brothers with some freakin' respect."

Ludwig looked right at Daisy, "Or what? You can't do a thing to me. You're not my boss, not Kamek, and not Kammy. So go off and play princess in your frilly dresses, you cheap, worthless, insignificant, old bat of a fat mistake!"

"..." "Fat." That was one of Daisy's trigger words. She was practically fuming with rage. One thing she wanted to do was punch Ludwig right in his fat nose. However, she had to keep her cool. She knew that it wouldn't look good to be hitting a child, especially since she wasn't attacking him. So instead, she decided to play a different game. A sly grin crossed her face.

"Not even worth the dirt on my shoe…" Ludwig muttered.

"No. See, what you don't realize…" Daisy bent over to get right in his face, "Is that you've been wasting your time here insulting me like an idiot. And now, Bowser's gonna tear you a new one. Oh, and if I'm not mistaken. If you're so Mr. 'Responsible'," she said with air quotes, "then I think he's gonna hold your butt accountable for your siblings. You could've run off with them by now, but instead…."

Daisy's smirk didn't waver one bit as she stared Ludwig down. As a result, the Koopaling looked somewhat afraid. He wasn't normally the type to fail, but now… "No...there's still time! Quit messing with me!"

A large shadow would eclipse the moonlight over Ludwig, and a loud voice echoed over them. **"On the contrary, Ludwig. It's _you_ who's messed with _me_!"**

"...Oh crap…."


	25. Aftermath

Chapter 25: Aftermath

Daisy looked up to see who had boomed that loudly. The smirk on her face grew even wider as she saw who it was. King Koopa himself, riding his clown car. Perhaps the first and only time she'll ever be glad to see him.

"LUDWIG!" Bowser shouted once more as he lowered the clown car to the ground. He was furious at him, mainly because Ludwig neglected to do what he was told. After a couple of harsh breaths, the Koopa lord would speak again, "You know that you and your siblings are supposed to have left Sarasaland by eleven o' clock. But you all are still here. Why?"

For the first time. Ludwig actually looked nervous. He was secretly very afraid of making Bowser angry, because he knew that he always had to put forth his best effort to please him. Unfortunately, today was the opposite.

"Um...well...you see...I….It was her fault!" Ludwig pointed at Daisy, "She took my siblings and distracted them from leaving!"

Daisy blinked, and shook her head. She wasn't having any of the blame shifting game, "Woah, woah, woah. Hold your dang horses. Iggy offered to help _me_ out when my stuff was stolen."

"Lord Bowser!" Ludwig interrupted, "I have told them about this, yet they refuse to listen. Iggy offered to help her. Why? She is our _enemy_. And a a best friend of our arch-enemy! How would it look if we suddenly became friends with her, huh?!"

"For your information Mr. Farty Pants…" Iggy got up from the wall he was slammed into, and walked over. "I'm not her friend. I only offered to help, because you decided to be a prick, and tell her and Rosalina to screw off! How about that Mr. Crazy Frog? You think being a little meathead towards Daisy's smart at all?!"

"..." Bowser glared at Ludwig, "Is that true?"

To Bowser, Ludwig didn't dare lie, "...Yes…"

"Grrr...you overgrown numbskull!" Bowser growled, "You come here to Sarasaland to run your cute little errands _only_. No contact with the princess, none of that, no anything. In fact, I'm almost _glad_ Iggy stepped in and helped out. With your two-bit tactics, you could've swept us into war with not one but _TWO_ princesses!"

"I'm sorry...I…" Ludwig muttered.

"Hmph. And I thought you were the smart one. Clearly I was mistaken." He then looked at Larry and Roy, "What're you two doing here?"

Larry decided to speak up, a bit shakily, however, "W-well...we kinda sorta came here to get revenge."

"On them stupid Black Bandits," Roy said, "They hurt Iggy and Larry. No _way_ was I gonna back down from some overrated petty thieves."

"I see. Well, if you got your revenge, then I must say that you boys did something right. Unlike _someone_ who refuses to follow my direct orders!" He yelled right at Ludwig, who by now, was too ashamed to say anything.

"Not to mention Daisy saved my life." Larry said, smiling at her, "Thanks."

"No problem, kiddo." Daisy smiled back at Larry, and turned to face Ludwig again. She almost felt sorry for him, but simply could not. The Koopaling disrespected her, Rosalina, his own brothers, and her Kingdom. But enough was enough. "Ya know what? Screw it. He's banned from my Kingdom. And if I ever catch the little twerp back on my land, I'll personally slap him back to your castle, myself."

"...Fine!" Ludwig retorted, "I hated your piece of crap kingdom anyway!"

She smirked at him with an evil glint in her eye, "Come say that to my face. I _dare_ you."

"..." Ludwig backed away somewhat, until he found himself leaning against Bowser's shin to which the King shook his head.

"Cowering. To a princess. Pitiful." He turned around, walking back to his clown car. "Everyone, let's go. Now."

Larry and Iggy got up and waved back at Daisy with big grins on their faces.

"Bye!" They both said as they all began boarding the clown car.

Larry nudged his pink brother, "Hey, say something."

Roy just smiled and looked at her silently for a bit. After a moment he would then speak, "See ya."

Ludwig was too ashamed to say anything. Having messed up this big, it was as if saying anything could cost him any leniency.

Bowser started up the clown car, and took off into the air with his underlings in tow.

Daisy meanwhile, waved at them as they left, grinning to herself about what punishment Ludwig might be getting. _"Dang, I almost wanna see for myself."_ She turned around, and looked at the ashes of the burnt building, as well as the crater from which the Homing Bill struck. "Hm…" she tapped a few numbers in on her cell phone, "Uh, yeah. SPD. I'd like to report some Bandits…"

Meanwhile, one awkward trip home later…

Bowser and the rest of the Koopalings walked into the castle. The Koopa Lord spoke to them all. "Bedtime. All of you. Your other siblings are asleep, so be quiet." He then went to his throne room.

The four brothers would start walking towards a dark hallway without a word, and towards their rooms. That is, until one of them were called back.

"Ludwig." Bowser called for him, waiting on his throne.

The blue haired Koopaling, slowly walked along the red carpet path into the massive throne room. The ceiling was at least fifty feet tall, and all around were nothing but barren blue-gray bricks. Looking up, his eyes slowly met Bowser's.

The Koopa King would stare right back at him for what seemed like the longest moment before finally speaking. "I trusted you…you lead your siblings with power and brute force. You're a good leader who can handle those six. But today...that was the most disgraceful, unorganized, and downright idiotic thing I've ever seen from _any_ of you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Bowser's words hit worse than any lashes he had ever received. It made him flinch visibly as every word pounded against his eardrums. When Bowser was finished, he couldn't help but stare at the ground. "...Nothing."

In the hallway….

"Hey, psst…" Larry whispered to his siblings. "Ludes is gettin' punished!"

"Ooh, that dummy's gonna get a good whoopin'!" Roy snickered to himself.

Within no time, the six siblings were all hidden in the nearby hallway, eavesdropping upon their eldest brother's potential punishment. After a quick explanation that brought the other three Koopalings who weren't involved, up to date on it, they each had mixed feelings.

"..What? That doesn't sound fair at all…" Lemmy muttered, "But I guess he should be a bit nicer…"

"Ludwig's always been like that, " Morton said, "play baseball or whatever? Not him."

Wendy was busy filing her nails, "Well, I got woken up from a hideous fashion nightmare, so this oughta be good."

"Shh!" Larry ordered them, "Listen!"

Back in the throne room….

"Hm….well at least you're honest." Bowser said with a sigh. Decisions like this were always tough to make. Especially on his supposedly best worker. "Kammy. Kamek. Get in here."

Two Magikoopas, one in purple that looked old, and one in blue that looked a bit younger, were both on broomsticks as they floated into the throne room.

"Yes, your massiveness?" they answered in unison.

After another explanation on what had occurred, Bowser looked at his two advisors, "What should I do with him?"

"..." Kamek blinked. For one thing, he always looked after Bowser in the best way he could. Failing to complete orders was intolerable. "You do know about his 'Apex Music Machine' thing, right?"

"The one he planned to unveil tomorrow at the opera house?" Kammy asked.

"That one. I say we destroy it."

"Wh-what?!" Ludwig shouted, "That's my best, most greatest….I worked for years on it!"

Bowser glared at him. Talking out of turn wasn't something he enjoyed, "Silence! You do not have a say in this!" He turned to his advisors, "Are you sure that would be a suitable punishment."

"It'd sure teach him not to fail you again," Kammy said.

"It seems as though it's a bit harsh considering it's his first offense." Bowser said, "Wouldn't you want to leave something drastic like that for a later one?"

"Lord Bowser, you cannot play favorites," Kamek replied, "The other siblings would not take kindly to it."

Bowser had to admit, they were right. He couldn't be soft when it came to anyone, not even Ludwig. With his mind made up, he got up from his throne. "Ludwig. I have no choice. So that you'll understand to never fail upon my orders, your invention is to be destroyed...right in front of you."

"...What?! No! Please!" Ludwig pleaded, "Don't do this to me! I'll do anything!"

As they listened in, the Koopalings fell even more silent.

Lemmy bit his lip. "...That's not cool...Ludwig's a nice guy…"

Larry sighed. "Yeah, but...what can we do?"

They all blinked as they saw Kamek magically teleport his invention into the room. All it was, was a small wooden box the size of a question block. Everyone besides Ludwig was surprised at this.

"...Huh." Larry muttered, "That was anticlimactic."

Kamek then summoned a thwomp that would potentially smash on it. "Say good-bye."

Suddenly, Bowser would be pricked in the head by the tip of a paper airplane. On it, was elegantly written cursive writing that gave him another idea. "...Kamek, stop. I have a much better idea…"

Before the thwomp could smash the box, the magikoopa turned to face Bowser, "What is it, my liege?" Bowser then whispered into the mage's ear, and sat back in his throne. From there, Kamek made both the thwomp and box disappear, and face Ludwig. "Seems we have a different punishment in mind for you…"

Ludwig was relieved to see his invention not be destroyed, but couldn't help but wonder what the alternative was going to be. "Hm..?" 

A few minutes later Ludwig would be scrubbing the floors of the kitchen with a toothbrush, wearing pink gloves, a pink hairnet, and a black and white maid's outfit complete with black heels. "...So….embarrassing."

Kammy Koopa cracked a whip near his ear to made him speed up, "Faster! I have to cook your dinner, and I want the kitchen to be spotless! Get moving, Ludesa! Just 30 more days of this!"

This made him speed up. Unfortunately, Kammy's cooking was...worse than Daisy's and not something to look forward to.

"That'll teach him to mess with us." Iggy and Larry were snapping pictures on their cell phones of the entire scenario from the hallway, and sending them all over…

"Hehehe…" Larry snickered, "he's so cute!" 

"Not as cute as he'll look when we're done…" Iggy then cackled as he pushed send.

Back at Daisy's castle, the princess had finished taking a shower, and was wearing her usual orange bathrobe and orange slippers. "Ah...nice and clean. I wonder if Ludwig got his butt in trouble." She opened the blue door that led to her bedroom, and picked up her phone. "Hm? What's all these messages?"

She flipped through her phone, and found the pictures of "Ludesa," "...Oh my gosh, that's freaking hilarious! I bet that'll teach him. Callin' me fat...pssh, my gramma woulda slapped the shell off his back." She sighed, content with herself before flopping on her bed, "Dangit. All those damages gonna need a lotta paperwork to sign and approve….ugh...welp, back on that grind I guess…" she shrugged, and picked up her phone once more, laughing herself to sleep at the hilarious pictures of Ludwig.


	26. The Pantless Princess

Chapter 26: The Pantless Princess

After a long night of restlessness, Princess Daisy woke up from her bed the next morning with her hair out of place, and her robe riddled with wrinkles. "Ugh…" she pressed her hand against her forehead as she sat up. "Dang...I've had wilder nights filled with partying and woke up better than this…."

A knock came from her bedroom door, "Madam Daisy?"

"Come in."

The door would then open, followed by a bony koopa wearing his usual tuxedo, Daisy's butler Drible. "I came to wish you good morning and-" he blinked, and looked his princess over, "Great Flower Fields! You look…"

Daisy casually blew a stray red hair out of her face, "Hideous?" she smirked at him.

"Well...no, but a good shower will fix that right up. And you have a lot of work to do," Drible took out a clipboard, "You have a few documents to sign, and a meeting later on, and a possible tour to take."

"Ugh…" Daisy rolled her eyes in response, but she knew she had to get up and attend her daily jobs as a princess. It wasn't anything really new to her, in fact the only reason she sounded annoyed was because there was as much as she was expecting there to be. She actually enjoyed keeping herself busy.

Walking into the bathroom, Daisy began to get dressed, and kept speaking. "Are you sure there's nothing else on there?"

"Um…" Drible looked down the list, "As I said, you may have to give our visitor a tour, so it's best to look your best. And there's also the annual flower festival that's coming up. And quite a few other minor things that need-"

"AHHH!" A bloodcurdling scream came from the bathroom.

"Madam Daisy! Whatever is the matter?!" Drible ran over to her, and in the bathroom, Daisy was still in the bathroom wearing her robe.

"Drible….where are my clothes?"

"Hm? I always place your daily set of clothes for you on…." he looked over to the counter to see nothing, "...the counter. Don't fret. Allow me to grab you another set from your closet." The skeletal koopa ran to the closet.

Daisy found herself taking deep breaths. "Ok….I'm calm….everything's gonna be fine…."

"Uh...Madam Daisy…" the Dry Bones rattled softly.

"Huh?" She answered, and walked out to him, "What's going ooooo…." she found herself stuck like a broken record, mortified at the sight before her. There was nothing in her closet whatsoever. No dresses, shirts, shorts, shoes, _nothing._ "..."

"Wh-what?!" Drible blinked, and ran into the closet. "This cannot be! How are there no clothes for you to wear?!"

Daisy swallowed her fear, and slowly spoke, "Drible….who was that meeting supposed to be with….?"

"Um…" the Dry Bones flipped up a piece of paper, "Madam Bow from the Boo Forest. She wants to discuss with you the issue of the Black Bandits. Apparently, they've began robbing her, and are somewhere upon her property."

"Yeah, so what does she wanna…?"

Drible continued, "She simply wants to know what they're doing there, and wants you to somehow get rid of them and offer some...assistance."

"Ok, ok…" Daisy nodded, "So I gotta sign some things, and meet Bow later. But what about my clothes? I ain't got _no_ spare nothin'? Anywhere?!"

"U-um...let me check everything. There's probably some dirty things I have not yet washed down below." Drible walked towards the door before Daisy's voice called him.

"Hey, where's Rosie?"

"Oh. I forgot to tell you. She had left a little bit ago in her ship for a test flight after it was fixed with the wrench you gave her. She'll be back to say goodbye later. But for now, let me go to the laundry room."

Daisy ran, and grabbed his arm. She carried him with her as she ran to her laundry room, "I'm comin' with ya. I need to find _something_ to wear." They ran through the hall and stopped at a small room with a washer and dryer. Next to both machines was a hamper that carried their dirty clothes. "Here."

Drible walked over to the hamper, "Come now, Madam Daisy. I'm sure there's a nice pile of your sweaty clothes that we can wash from right over-…" There was a noticeable silence as Drible took the lid off, leaving him frozen.

"Dri? What's the-" Daisy leaned over his shoulder, and looked in the hamper. "...There's nothing there…." the words exited her mouth as if she saw her past ancestors come back to life, "...there's...there's nothing there?! What the actual flower picking heck?!"

Her butler was just as confused. He simply couldn't understand why there were no clothes in her hamper. "This...this is impossible. How can there be no clothes for you anywhere?!"

Daisy had to calm herself down. Now was not the time to lose her head. Thankfully, while in her castle she could dress however she wanted. "Alright. Drible. Please go buy me something-anything to wear for the day so I can go meet Bow with...at least _some_ level of class for myself. I'mma head to my office and start on that paperwork." With that, she did so, leaving the laundry room, and heading to her main office.

Once more, Drible was overjoyed at being given a direct order, and nodded. "Yes Madam, Daisy! I shall not fail you!" The Dry Bones ran downstairs, and to the castle's front doors. "I have to find something…" As soon as he opened the door to leave, however…

A Boo was floating there. "Hello."

"Hello?" Drible answered absentmindedly.

"Uh, yes. I'm sorta here to inform you that Lady Bow's gonna be here in half an hour or so. She kinda wants to take a tour of the Kingdom and see what's what ya know?"

"Um…" Drible would be biting back his lip right now if he had one, "I-I don't think that-"

The Boo narrowed his eyes, "Look, sir, the Mistress is breathing down everyone's neck about everything, and likes being punctual. If you got a schedule or something, clear it. Because she's coming where you like it or not, and the princess better be ready."

"B-w-h-..." Drible was at a loss for words for a few moments until he himself had to mentally take a step back. Most women were indeed like this. Having been by Daisy's side since she was an infant, he knew very well that it would be in his best interest to keep everything in order. "We'll do the best we can."

"No. We ain't got time for that silly song and dance, buddy." The Boo snapped, "I don't care about your best. Just make sure it's perfect."

"Um...no problem." Drible closed the door and sat down with his back against hit. He put his hands on his head, _"We're screwed. Royally."_


	27. Tactical Rebuke

Chapter 27: Tactical Rebuke

"Ok ok ok...calm down…" Drible had begun pacing the floor of the foyer, while trying to think of something. There were multiple options he had, but each other them still had a negative aspect. _"I could go and get her some clothes...but there's no time. The nearest clothing store is too far down the road to be done in time. I need to get the place clean for the Boo's arrival. Ugh...what to do what to do…"_

Daisy meanwhile, was in her private office. It was more than a mere workplace, however. On her desk was the pile of papers she needed to sign, as well as a small computer. The floor was a massive orange carpet with her signature flower emblem upon it. On the walls were portraits of past rulers of Sarasaland. The perfect place for her to work.

The princess wore a pair of reading glasses as she scribbled her signature down on the pieces of paper. A sudden cold chill would then run along her body. Wearing only a bathrobe wasn't exactly the warmest thing ever. "Brr...I need some heat." She got up, and went to the thermostat in the room, pressed the up button in order to turn the heater on. "Mm..cozy. Hm...some hot chocolate should work too." Deciding to take a break, Daisy made her way downstairs.

Drible meanwhile, continued pacing the floor, wondering what he should do. That is, until his princess called for him.

"Hey, Dri. You alright there? Ya look paler than usual."

The koopa would've bitten on his lip once more if he had one as he realized what he needed to tell her. "Um….yes. But I have some...news to share."

"Oh, yeah?" She beckoned him to follow her into the kitchen, which he did. Once there, Daisy began making the instant hot chocolate on the stove, "Well, what's up, hun? Tell me the news."

"Um...well you see." Drible mulled over the words, "Do you remember the meeting with Madam Bow you have to attend?"

"Uh-huh, yeah." Daisy replied casually, "Still gotta find something to wear. But eh, I got time to go shopping, right?" she grinned, pouring the hot chocolate into a cup for herself, and took a sip. "Mm…"

"Actually…" Drible looked away from her, "Madam Bow will be here in half an hour…"

"..." In a comical fashion, Daisy spat out her hot chocolate in reaction to what her butler said. The idea that she would have to address someone in such a high power in just a robe was downright embarrassing. "What?!"

"One of her Boos just finished telling me. There's no time to go down to the store to buy clothes, because the nearest mall is twenty minutes to get there."

Daisy started sweating. This situation was making her restless. However, she had to calm down. She knew that she could figure out something, "I got it." A devious smirk grew upon her face, "I've seen this on the Super Leaf Channel. There was a thing where a chick made herself a dress out of stuff around the house! I can do that easy!"

Drible had no time to debate his princess's plan. He simply nodded in reply, "Then what shall I do?"

"Uh...you go stall 'em! And if you need to, call up your brother. He's a fun guy, right?" She paused and snorted, "If he was Toad that would've been-" she shook her head, "Just go hold the door and keep them from coming in."

"How will I know when you're ready?"

"Just let me do mah thang," she smirked, "I got this. And I know you got this too." She petted him gently on the head, and quickly exited the kitchen and ran upstairs.

Drible meanwhile, went over to the telephone near the door, and pressed some numbers on it. "Hurry up…." When there was a pickup, he spoke quickly, "Get your butt over here! Now!" And without waiting for an answer, he ran outside to the front porch.

The Boo from earlier was gone, much to Drible's relief. Now all he had to do was stand and wait for Lady Bow to arrive. _"Please hurry, madam Daisy…."_


	28. Misdirect the Mistress

Chapter 28: Misdirect the Mistress

Drible stood on the porch, nervously waiting for the female Boo's arrival. Despite having no skin, he began to sweat with anxiety. The fact that he had to stall Lady Bow until Daisy was ready….it would be no easy task. _"Brother, where are you…."_ He was hoping that his brother Dryden would arrive there first, because he knew he would be a better one for the job. _"Ok, ok...I'm just going to calm down, and wait...everything will be fine."_

Much to Drible's relief, he could see something in the distance….a Dry Bones on a skateboard! "Yes!" He started waving him down.

Dryden rode on his skateboard, and waved back. "Hey, bro." He jumped up, landing in the yard, and walking up to him along the walkway. "You sounded in trouble over the phone. What's goin' on?"

"Look, Lady Bow is coming here and-"

"Woah, woah, woah. _The_ Lady Bow?" Dryden blinked, and then smirked, "Aw heck yeah! I'm glad you brought me over. She's a feisty one, and I've always wanted to meet her."

"Don't even try that." Drible narrowed his eyes, and pointed to the door, "I'm supposed to stand guard here. You go inside and help Madam Daisy."

Dryden shrugged, "Aight. No problem." The Dry Bones walked inside, and set his skateboard next to the door. From there, he walked up the set of stairs, and as he went up, he could hear a slightly muffled cry for help!

"Mmm! Mmm!"

Dryden looked around as he heard the noise. "Huh? Daisy, is that you?" He started running in the direction of the sound. The muffled cries would get louder and louder as he got closer. Apparently, the noise was coming from her bedroom, which he walked right into. However, the brunette princess was nowhere to be found.

"Daisy? My brother asked me to come in and...help?" He turned around, looked under the bed, in the closet, and the bathroom, but Daisy was nowhere to be found. "Hm…" Despite this, the muffled shouts could still be heard. Directly above him.

"Mmm! MMM!" In addition to the muffled cries, a soft creaking could be heard...

"Hm...I don't see anything." Dryden blinked and started checking the places he had already checked. At the same time, the creaking would get louder as if something was coming apart above his head….

"MMM!"

"I guess I'll look for her somewhere-" A sudden loud _snap_ came from above Dryden and something crushed him! "OW!" As usual for his kind, he broke apart from something landing on him.

The weight that had crushed him, was Princess Daisy herself. She was tied up in red wrapping paper, and had tape over her mouth. "Mm!"

"Ow…" Dryden's head said before slowly bringing the rest of his body together. Once he did, he looked at Daisy. "Woah…" Carefully, he reached and peeled the tape from her lips. "What happened?"

"Ugh, I tried making a dress from stuff I found." She rolled her eyes, "The chick on the Super Leaf Channel made it look so easy. Also uh can ya kinda um….get me out?" she said, somewhat struggling to move her arms.

"Why are ya doing this?"

"Long story, clothes stolen, get me out. Please. Now." Daisy ordered.

"Ok, ok." Dryden walked around to her side, "Alright….this might sting a little…" 

Meanwhile, with Drible…

" _No real sign of them yet...good...good…"_ And then, all the sudden, Drible's heart dropped. Or it would have if he had one. Regardless, in the distance, something he saw practically mortified him _. "...Oh no."_

Lady Bow herself was floating down the streets towards the castle along with two more Boos on either side. What made Drible more nervous was the pure look of exasperation and intolerance upon the Boo's face. As if whatever she needed wasn't taken care of, she would take care of it herself.

The undead koopa butler started sweating, and pulled on the collar of his shirt. It was very clear to him, that as the leader of the Boos, he needed to make a very good impression upon Bow, as she had a heavy influence unto the rest of her kind.

She was getting closer, phasing right through the main gate and now floating along the orange brick pathway that led right to Daisy's front door. On either side of said pathway, was a beautiful lawn full of many different types of flowers: Lavenders, roses, sunflowers, lilies, and of course, daisies. Bow seemed to notice this as she stopped to sniff a nearby flower, but no visible reaction was displayed on her face. She simply continued to float down the path keeping up her haughty appearance.

Drible's breathing became more and more rapid as she approached. Daisy was not yet ready, and he had to figure out some sort of way to stall her. Nevertheless, when she stopped in front of him, he bowed, "Welcome, Madam Bow."

The Boo eyed him up for a moment, and raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a 'Madam' to you?"

"N-no, I was merely saying that-"

"It's _Lady_ Bow," she corrected him, "not some old 'Madam' as you so call."

"My apologies, Lady Bow…" Drible said back, "the princess will be out to see you momentarily."

"Excuse me?" she questioned him a mere nanosecond after he said that.

"She's simply um….powdering her nose." Drible answered.

"Hm." Bow folded her arms as she glared at Drible with a stare that could make even someone like Bowser nervous, "We're on schedule, and I don't expect any delays. She and I have very important matters to discuss, so I expect her to be out within a reasonable time. Is that understood?"

"Ahem...yes…" Drible pulled the collar of his tux nervously, "It won't be much longer…" _"I hope."_

"Good." She closed her eyes, and started fanning herself with her fan, "A lady should not be kept out in such warm weather. Hopefully everything is kept to a certain standard within her Royal Domain. Princess Peach set a great example for herself as a fitting person of royalty when we met. I trust Daisy does the same, hm?" She opened her eyes, peering over at Drible with her fan covering her face.

"Um…of course." He started to get worried and think to himself, _"Daisy is a nice model princess who is very regal, right?. There's nothing to worry about, right….right?"_


	29. White Petals

Chapter 29: White Petals

Dryden peeled off the wrapping paper from Daisy's body, and exited the room to allow her to get dressed. "Um...so what exactly happened here?"

Daisy exited the room wearing her bathrobe once more. "Ugh...I need to find some freakin' clothes to wear since Bow's supposed to be here. But everything's been stolen!"

"Stolen? How?"

"That's not the hot issue right now," Daisy looked back into her room at the pile of misshapen junk, "I need to get a dress somehow. Something that'll make me look good in front of Bow."

Dryden shrugged, "You look fine to me. Heck, you look fine in anything."

This made Daisy giggle, "Sweet, but I can't go out there like this." She then sighed, "I need something…this is getting me nowhere."

"Hm. How about using your bedsheets?" Dryden point to her bed.

"..." Daisy slapped her hand on her forehead, "Ugh, why didn't I think of that? Thanks." She ran in, and closed the door, only to reopen it moments later, "Um, do you think you can do me a favor and distract Bow with your brother, please?"

"Eh, I got it." Dryden shrugged, and walked towards the stairs.

"Thanks!"

Meanwhile, outside….

"Hm. How long does it take for someone to do their business?" Lady Bow complained.

"I'm sure she'll be out in a matter of moments," Drible rattled anxiously, "You cannot rush perfection, you know?"

The Boo glared at him, "Excuse me?"

"I just-"

"Perfection should have been achieved in the time that was allotted for her. Why must she be so irresponsible that she can't even meet a noblewoman on time?" She questioned him.

Naturally, when it came to Daisy's honor, Drible was quick to her defense. "Beg your pardon, but Daisy is nothing like that. She will surely um...do the exact opposite!"

Bow floated over to Drible, and gave him a cold stare with a dark smirk that could send a shock into an entire field of Hammer Bros. "She had better."

Drible was practically shaking from the intensity of the Boo's stare, and nearly fell to the ground. Somehow, he managed to stay standing. "Sh-sh-she won't…"

"Hm." The Boo backed away from him, and resumed looking around the area. 

Just then, Dryden walked outside the door, and stood next to his brother. "You ok?"

"Yes…" Drible shivered, "Just...she scares me."

"Would ya calm down, bro? Daisy said she'll be out in a minute when she gets dressed." Dryden assured his brother, "Now calm down."

Bow overheard this, and looked in their direction. "Did I hear that correctly? Will she be out in a few?"

"Yup." Dryden answered, "Won't be long now."

Bow finally cracked a smile, "Finally! I'll finally be able to see what it's like around her castle. Hopefully she's a better ruler than Princess Peach."

"How so?" the Dry Bones brothers asked in unison.

"I could go on forever about how Peach has….questionable traits as a ruler." She fanned herself, "Don't get me wrong, the Kingdom is still standing, so she must be doing _something_ right. It's just...something about her that seems….strange."

Dryden spoke up, "Like the fact that it's possible she lets herself get kidn-" before his brother quickly slapped him. "Ow."

"That's too much information."

Bow blinked, "That's actually quite accurate. Peach never seems to have any sorts of defenses or protection besides Mario. What would she do without him? Or Luigi?"

"Makes sense to me," Dryden shrugged, "Honestly that's why I kinda like hanging around Daisy's place more." He folded his arms, "Nice to see a noble who actually _does_ something."

Bow fluttered her eyes at him with a smirk, "Nice to see someone who actually has good taste in who they surround themselves with."

"Um…" Dryden felt slightly uncomfortable from the whole eye thing. "Ok…?"

She continued to smirk at him, "Why don't you go see if Daisy's ready, hm?" This was a clear attempt at charming him. However, it didn't seem to work all that well as the Dry Bones simply shrugged in response.

"Aight." Dryden turned around to open the door to go back inside. But before he could, the door swung open on its own. "What the f..ire bros?"

Daisy emerged from the inside of her castle with her eyes closed. Somehow, someway, she managed to turn her white bedsheets into a perfectly form fitting dress that clung to her body at the waist up, and stopped right above her chest. From the waist down, it was a lot like one of her normal dresses that flowed around her legs outwards.

She spoke in an uncharacteristically haughty voice as she curtseyed, "Welcome to Sarasaland, Lady Bow."

Bow looked up at her, very interested in what Daisy had to say. "Well hello~"

The undead koopa brothers however, were dumbfounded by this and exchanged looks of confusion at each other for the longest moment until they looked back at the brunette princess. Drible was frozen, and couldn't think of anything to do or say.

Dryden on the other hand, had other thoughts. _"Did this woman just freakin' curtsey?"_


	30. Daisy's Boo-tiful Flair

Chapter 30: Daisy's Boo-tiful Flair

Daisy led the Boo princess into the castle. "Dear me, I apologize for keeping you waiting," she said in the worst haughty voice imaginable, "Please feel free to take a look around."

"Hm." Lady Bow floated ahead, "A princess with class. A good start."

Dryden then tugged on her bedsheet dress and looked up at her, whispering loudly, "Psst. Dais. What the heck are you doing?!"

"Shhh! I need to do this to make a good impression on Bow. The Forever Forest is a pretty dark pace, but she has a bit of a higher standard when it comes to certain things. Hence why I need to be like this to get her alliance." Daisy said.

Dryden facepalmed, "Daisy you're smarter than this. You shouldn't try and change yourself."

"But how is it gonna look if I'm casually belching, and bouncing soccer balls on my head? Or just lying around on the couch after work?"

Drible sighed, "She has somewhat of a point...ill-mannered ways do not sit well with royalty."

Dryden tried to debate, "Yeah but-"

"Ahem!" Lady Bow would be tapping her foot impatiently if she had feet, but instead, stared them down, "Is anyone going to show me around? Or do I have to get lost and find my way around myself?"

"Oh, yes, um...coming!" Drible called.

Dryden shook his head, "Hold on, lemme handle her. Bro, you stay with Daisy." He offered, knowing that Bow somewhat sent chills down his brother's spine.

"You sure?"

"Dude. Two princesses? At once? Heck, naw. At least lemme try and help."

"...Alright. But if any problems arise, please let me know." Drible said to his brother.

"Yeah, yeah." Dryden shrugged, and walked over to the pale green ghost. "So, ma'am, I'll be your tour guide."

She was facing away from him with her eyes closed, fanning herself silently.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am?"

"Hm?" She opened one eye, "Were you addressing me?"

"Well, yeah."

"My name is Lady Bow." He remained facing away from him, "If you cannot address me properly, then get someone else."

Dryden frowned at this and motioned to say something before Daisy interjected. "Ahem. I believe Lady Bow wishes to take that castle tour, now. Why don't we show her around? Be a dear and help her get familiar with the surroundings while I lead the way, Dryden." She walked ahead of the two, motioning for them to follow. "Drible, honey, please prepare us some refreshments for when the tour is done."

Drible nodded once, "Yes, Madam Daisy," and went into the kitchen.

A soft giggle came from the Boo princess, as she looked at Dryden, "See? Your brother knows how to treat a lady. Why can't you~?"

Dryden sighed, rolling his eyes, deciding not to speak, and just walked forward to follow Daisy.

The flower princess led them through the main halls of the castle, letting Bow have a detailed look at the castle's interior. As usual, everything was nice and clean from the bottom of the floors to the top of the ceilings. "As you can see, everything is in neat and fashionable order."

"Oh that sounds just lovely," Bow responded, "it really does take a woman's touch to keep a place neat and tidy. Clearly you've done so just fine. Your butler is amazing."

"Isn't he?" Daisy laughed poshly, "Always so willing to take care of me and whatnot."

Bow smirked, "You certainly know how to run a place like this and keep everyone in line. Amazing to see a princess actually put their foot down."

Dryden was becoming slowly annoyed by this, and wanted to exit the room as fast as possible. "Um….I think I'll go check on Drible." But before he could even turn to leave, Daisy stopped him.

"I think I will do so myself. I don't wish for anything to be jumbled around with middlemen." Daisy walked past Dryden and whispered, "Keep it up."

"This is insane. You gonna leave me here with her?" he whispered back.

"Just for a minute...you're doing excellent at this. Please don't worry, aight?" Daisy winked at him and continued down the stairs.

A sigh of exasperation came from Dryden as he turned to face Bow, "So...you ready for the rest of the tour?"

"Hm. You should be more appreciative." She closed her eyes and turned away from him, "With the way communication works, you should be glad she offered to see your brother herself."

Dryden shook his head, "That's not what I-look can we just get back to the tour, already?"

"I suppose." She replied, fanning herself, "I must admit, this castle is nice. It shall be the perfect place for me to stay."

"Yup, it i-" he blinked twice, "wait what?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" She closed her fan, and turned around to face him, "I plan to stay for a while-a week or two at most. Just to see how well Daisy runs her Kingdom. Then and only then will I agree to ally the Boos with her if she actually does it well." She giggled, and shot him a sly grin, "That won't be a problem, for you will it~?" She floated over next to him, speaking almost right into his ear, "I'm sure that a handsome, strong, and healthy young Dry Bones like you would be overjoyed to be within my presence, hm?"

Dryden rattled with a skittish smile, "Um...does Daisy know that you're staying?"

"Well, not yet. I plan to ask her when she comes back." Bow floated away from him, "But for now, I suppose it's still best to wait it out. Best to eye up the perfect prize before you take it, yes? After all…" she turned back to smirk at him with another wink, "what's the point in a little fun if no one else is around to enjoy it~?"

"Um….right, heh…" _"Oh heck naw. If she's staying here, I can't let Daisy sit through that torture."_ "I uh, gottas use the can, I'll be right…" he quickly ran downstairs.

"Do hurry back~"

Daisy meanwhile, sat in the kitchen, exhaling heavily, "Whew...freakin' jeez, man. Stupid posh voice got my throat all screwed off. I can't do this."

Drible looked at her, carrying a plate of d'oeuvres, "Are you sure Bow would appeal to that side of you?"

"I dunno…" she folded her arms.

Just then, Dryden burst through the door to the kitchen, panting heavily, and looked at them both.

"Dear me, brother. What happened?" Drible asked.

Daisy snorted, "Ya look like you've seen a ghost."

"People…" Dryden put his hands together, "We gots a problem."


	31. How Could It Go Wrong?

Chapter 31: How Could It Go Wrong?

"What's up?" Daisy looked over at Dryden.

"Well…." the Dry Bones went on to explain how Bow planned to ask if she could stay at the castle He had to speak low to make sure the Boo princess didn't hear. Needless to say...Daisy and Drible weren't exactly excited….

"What?!" Daisy yelped before covering her mouth to keep Bow from hearing. 

"Yeah, it's true. Do you guys think she'll make good company?"

Drible set the plate of skewers on the counter. "Well of course it is. It's a nice way to build strong public relations with foreign leaders. The Forever Forest could use our bond to show that they aren't some ghost town."

"Uhm…." Dryden raised his finger to speak.

"Don't. You know what I mean, brother."

Daisy cupped her hands under her chin while thinking heavily. "Well...I dunno. I mean, I'm all for being formal for other royals. But for a week? Not being able to be myself in my own house?"

"Ok, ok, first of all, let's drop that posh accent, ok?" Dryden suggested. "It's not worth it."

"Yeah, I agree. I ain't doing that voice no more." Daisy rolled her eyes, "I'll try to tone it down on my roughness I guess."

"You don't _have_ to. I mean, act how you usually act, right?" Dryden asked.

Daisy shook her head, "It ain't that simple. It's a matter of upholding dignity and respect for my kingdom. I may be a tad masculine at times, but I'm still a princess with a status to uphold."

"Wow…" Dryden blinked, "Is it really that serious? I'm only curious, because I never really understood why. I mean, there's countless other princesses in books and stuff I read who don't care who's around. And-"

Daisy looked right at him, "Let's say you were invited to a fancy party-"

"What kind of party? Am I being forced to go?"

"Let me finish." Daisy said a bit more harshly, "If you were invited to a fancy party in which princesses, nobles, generals, and famous persons would be attending, would you act the same way you do all the time? Or would you have manners and be appropriate?"

"Um….hm…." Dryden sighed, "I guess I see your point."

"Hey, it's one thing to see something, and it's another to understand it." Daisy told him, "I know I sound like some naggin' grammaw or something, but as painful as it is to hear, it's true." She got up, "Now with that said, I think I'mma let Bow stay for a bit. You're welcome to stay and help your brother out, Dryden. And please understand I'm not trying to nag your ears off, kay?"

The Dry Bones slowly nodded, "Yeah. I do."

"Good." She sashayed towards the stairs, with Drible close behind, "And Bow's a nice gal to hang around. She won't be _too_ much of a problem, right? Besides, how could it go wrong?"

The Next Day…

"Where are my things?" Lady Bow complained from atop the stairs.

The Dry Bone Brothers were both carrying Lady Bow's luggage on wheeling carts. Five luggage cases on each, weighing in over a heck of a lot more than what the brothers could move. 

"What...could….go...wrong…?" Dryden panted as he flopped down onto the floor.

Drible panted as well, "Brother….I assure you….things will only get better…" 

Three Hours Later…

Bow floated out of her guest room to find Drible. "Oh, Drible!"

The Dry Bones looked over at her, "Yes, Lady Bow?"

"Would you be a dear and bring me a nice bowl of soup. Lukewarm if you please~?" she made that face at him with a cute smile.

And of course, Drible was flustered by this, and blushed somewhat, "Um...of course." He made his way downstairs.

Bow smirked to herself. At least _someone_ in this place actually fell for her charms.

Drible brought the soup back to her moments later, "Here you are."

Bow lifted the spoon to taste some of it, and promptly gagged, "Uck! That's not lukewarm! It's ice cold! Warm it up, will you?"

"Of course, my apologies…" Another time-and the bowl had warm tufts of steam emitting from it. "Try it now."

The Boo tried it once more, and quickly dropped the spoon. She had burned her tongue, "You fool! How could you serve something so scalding to me?!"

"Um...m-my apologies…" he picked up the spoon, and quickly ran down the stairs to let the soup cool. After which, he brought it back up. "My apologies, Lady Bow. Please try it again."

The Boo tasted the soup once more, and took the bowl, "Hm. Finally you got it right." She floated into her room, "Ok, then you are free. Thanks~"

Three _More_ Hours Later…

Dryden tiptoed through the hallway in an attempt to head to the game room. "...Come on…I can here 'em calling for me. 'Dryden! Dryden!'" By now, he was at the game room door, and reached for the handle. "Zombie Fighters here I-"

"And just what do you think _you're_ doing?" The snooty voice of Bow rang from a few doors down, "I called your name twice!" 

"Ohhh. So I wasn't in a daydream."

"Whatever, just come here, please." Bow commanded.

Dryden let out a sigh before turning to walk down to her door. Flatly, he spoke, "Whaddya want, Lady Bow?"

"Would you mind giving me a backrub?"

Dryden blinked, clearly not comfortable with it, "Um...why me? Why not ask Drible to do it?"

"Because his hands are some clumsy," she took one of his hands with her own, "Yours on the other hand. Nice and firm, strong, muscular~" she smiled at him, "With hands like these, you'd be a hit in the Forever Forest."

"..." The undead koopa rattled nervously as he pulled his hand away, "Um...well…" 

"Come on. Just a quick rub along my back. It won't take long~" she smirked widely, "I mean, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to leave a lady in such a perilous condition. Such a noble gentleman is the one who helps her out when she needs it. One-"

"Ok, ok, fine…" Dryden cut her off. The guilt trip/charm method was getting on his nerves, or marrow in this case. Regardless, he didn't want to listen to her whining. "I'll give you a backrub."

"Oh why thank you~" She floated into her room, and laid on her bed, front first. "Make sure you're gentle."

"Uh...yeah…" Dryden closed his eyes and reached out to place his hand upon her back, "Um...are you-"

"Yes. I am."

"Ughhh…" he shuddered silently as he started rubbing along her back.

"Right there." She said approvingly.

After a while, and a lot more awkward shuddering from the Dry Bones, Lady Bow was still not satisfied. "Hm. Maybe you should increase the pressure."

"Like this?" Dryden made a fist with his hand, absentmindedly, grinding it into her back.

"Yow! That's perfect! I carry most of my stress in my lower back…" she groaned in pain as the stress was released from her body.

"..." Suddenly, Dryden felt a lot more uncomfortable than when he had first walked in. He certainly didn't enjoy physically hurting someone who didn't deserve it. "Um...you alright there?"

"Yes! Just keep going along my tail." She ordered.

"Uggggghhh…." Dryden shuddered.

Luckily, it wouldn't take long before she told him he was done, and he quickly walked out of the room.

Bow smirked at him, "You should be a masseuse. I'll be calling on you again when I need you~" she winked at him.

"Y-yeah sure, um….sure…" Dryden quickly walked away from her door, not looking back.

Later, both brothers met up with each other in the basketball court…..yard…

"Bro, this is riddick!" Dryden said as he shot a basketball at one of the hoops on the court, which missed. "That had to be the most awkward 30 minutes of my life."

"I will admit Bow can be a little...demanding." Drible sighed, cutting the hedges into the shape of Bow.

"Hopefully things get better. It's only been the first day…"

"Agreed. At least Madam Daisy's making it work."

"Making it work? She's been _doing_ work all day."

"Hence why we're taking care of Bow while Daisy handles those documents."

Dryden would then jump up and dunk the ball with a loud _slam_ , "You're right."

"And besides…" Drible took off his gardener's hat, and backed away to admire the hedge cutting of Bow's likeness, "How else can anything could go wrong?"

Dryden hung from the basketball rim, and watched as the basketball bounced over to said hedge sculpture, and knocked off one of the bows off of the hedge Bow's head, "...Don't tempt the fates, bro."

Drible simply walked over to the broken hedge bow, and picked it up with a sigh. "I'll try not to."


	32. Brainstorm

Chapter 32: Brainstorm

Day four of Bow's visit. Daisy had been using her time to catch up on her work, and unfortunately, had little time to show her around her castle due to the sheer amount of work she had to do. That's where her servant Drible, and his brother Dryden came in.

During the afternoon, Daisy was still sitting at her office desk. As she wrote away on her papers, she thought heavily on who stole her clothes. "Hm…" Just a few hours ago, she had put out a bulletin to offer a reward for anyone who had information on why someone would want her things. "Ugh...obsessive people want everything." 

The pen she had been holding in her hand suddenly snapped in two as she heard someone float into her room with a tiny giggle. "Hello, Princess."

Daisy adjusted her reading glasses, and looked at Bow, "Hm, hi…." she yawned slowly, having been up working, "Have the boys been doing ok?"

She smirked a little, "Yes they are. They're incredibly helpful." She started fanning herself, "But I was hoping to get out a little, and that they could help me, hm?"

Another yawn came from the tired princess, "Yeah yeah, sure….they can take you wherever ya wanna go."

"Aw, thank you." Bow turned and left the room.

"Yeah yeah...sure…." Within moments, Daisy would fall asleep with a light conk on the table, snoring loudly.

Lady Bow cleared her throat, "Oh, boys~!"

In a few seconds, the Dry Bone brothers walked up to her, speaking in unison, "Yes?"

"Guess who's going to take me shopping."

"..." 

Five hours later…

Dryden and Drible were carrying loads of bags for the store as Bow floated ahead of them. "Hm. You two need to keep up. How are you going to handle your own women one day?" 

Dryden let out an exasperated sigh, "We've been at this for hours…"

Drible simply kept silent.

"Hm. Wait here you two while I powder my nose." The Boo floated into the ladies' room.

Dryden looked at his brother, "Dude, this is insane. You made her breakfast, I had to swim down to the bottom of the pool to find one of her makeup thingies that I swear made the water figgy and impossible to swim through, and we've been out here shopping for _four. Hours!_ "

Drible narrowed his eyes at him. "Listen to yourself, brother. Do you even realize the level of which we are handling? Lady Bow is a noble that could easily have her Boos haunt us if she so chose, and not to mention is a very nice woman. Yet you still find air and room to complain and groan about what's happening."

"But dude-I don't care about how _I'm_ being treated. It's about how _you're_ being treated."

"Huh?"

"Look, dude. If I wasn't here, then my fifty percent of the work would be thrown on you right about now. And you'd be falling apart with every step. Please, dude, calm down and try and see what I'm saying. Don't you think Bow could stand to be a _little_ less bossy?" he held his index finger and thumb close to each other for emphasis.

"..." Drible had to admit. His brother was somewhat right about the situation. However, he wasn't exactly the type of guy to come out and put forth his feelings, especially to superiors. "...I suppose...wait. That's why you've been doing this? To see what I deal with?"

"Well, yeah." Dryden shrugged, "Plus, I wanted to help my brother out."

"Oh...I...I didn't realize. Thank you."

"Eh, don't mention it. But now, how do we deal with Bow…"

A small female voice suddenly spoke up, "You two don't know a thing about women do you? I know exactly what you boys' problem is from just listening. You two need to know when to put your feet down and tell her to stop. Women respect a guy with stones."

The brothers both looked up to see who it was, and Dryden spoke first, "Um, what?"

Toadette was standing there holding shopping bags, "You guys need to keep your heads up."

Drible looked over, "Oh, you're Madam Daisy's Toad friend."

"Toadette." She corrected, "And you guys need to know when it's time to put a leash on a situation. You can't let her control you two."

Dryden nodded, "You're right. But how do we? One wrong move and it's game over for how Sarasaland is represented."

Drible rubbed his arm with his hand, "Personally, I am unsure as a whole on how to handle this. I am merely Madam Daisy's servant. She asked me to take care of Bow, and that is what I shall do."

"But you're not some mindless robot are you?" Toadette asked.

"No…"

"Are you a puppet?" 

"No."

"Do you got your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Do you have the right to say how you feel?"

Drible answered a bit hesitantly, "I suppose…?"

Toadette snapped her fingers, "That right there is what we need to fix. You can't just get walked over like that."

"What she said," Dryden agreed.

"And you," she looked at Dryden, "you kinda need to be a bit more...careful. I'm sure you know your brother needs to talk about this to the princesses themselves."

"Right. Of course. But now, we-" The sudden sound of a thunder's rumble interrupted him. "What the…" he looked outside the store's window to see that the skies were growing dark along with the sudden thunderstorm. It looked like the epitome of a cliche Halloween night but there was one problem.

"That is odd…" Drible muttered, looking outside with his brother, "it's August, and there wasn't to be any thunder today."

Toadette narrowed her eyes, "Something big's gonna happen. I can feel it. Someone's gonna do some big and malicious stuff that'll destroy us." She shrugged, "Or it could be just bad weather." An umbrella suddenly whipped out from her purse-it was plain pink, "Good thing I just bought this."

"You could be right, though." Dryden looked at his brother, "Think we should head home?"

"Yes…" Drible answered, "I will stay here and wait for Bow. You bring the car around front."

"Got it." He looked at Toadette, "You need a ride home?"

"Nah, I'm cool." She grinned, and waved as she started leaving, "Bye!"

Outside, a lightning bolt would zap down, followed by the sudden pattering of rainfall onto the ground below.

"Sure glad I got this umbrella…" Toadette muttered.

Dryden ran outside to see the rain falling on the ground. "...This ain't normal….this ain't normal…." With the keys jingling around, Dryden quickly ran to the black convertible that they had rode in, and jumped into the driver seat. "What's with the sudden thunder and rain?"

In the distance he looked up at Princess Daisy's castle, and noticed a peculiar...haze of darkness glowing above it…

"...Frick...frick we gotta go!" Turning the ignition, Dryden would start the engine, and begin to pull around to the front of the store.


	33. Battle Royal

Chapter 33: Battle Royal

"Uch! How dare you rush a lady when she's trying to finish up her shopping?!" Bow hissed as Drible pulled her outside to the parking lot of the mall. Dryden was nowhere to be seen.

"Lady Bow, we must get you back immediately," Drible explained, "Something is causing an abnormally large storm. It can't be natural or safe."

"Hm. I don't care if it's literally raining cats and dogs," Bow retorted, glaring at him with a fiery intensity that could burn an Ice Flower to ash, "I will not be rushed just because of some ridiculous rainstorm. And _where_ is my umbrella?! Why have you brought me out here and not given me my umbrella?!"

Drible sighed softly, "Lady Bow, please…"

"Don't you 'Lady Bow, please,' me! I want an explanation for this, and I want it now!"

"..." Drible was slowly losing his patience. But before he could say anything in retaliation, the sound of the convertible's engine came nearby.

"Let's hurry up!" Dryden pushed the car door open, "That storm is brewing literally right on top of Daisy's castle. Something's wrong, I know it! Come on!"

Drible grabbed Lady Bow's arm, and ran with her into the car. "We are going to the castle Madam Daisy could be in trouble!"

"Hm!" Bow floated in the car seat, and didn't speak to either of them. She was reluctant to even go, but couldn't stay out in the rain.

"Hang on!" Dryden began flooring it, and propelled the car onto the road like it had run over a boost pad or something.

"Woah! Brother, slow down!" Drible yelped as he put his seatbelt on. "No..don't slow down! Daisy's life is at stake!"

Dryden smirked at his brother and put a pair of shades on. "Relax my paranoid, brother." Without anymore words, Dryden quickly pulled a hard left before the street light changed red. "I know a shortcut!"

The rain was getting heavier as it plopped and dripped on the ground around them. The darkness in the sky grew more and more bleak as the two neared Daisy's castle. The water all around the streets made it slippery for Dryden to turn, but there wasn't a thing he wasn't prepared for.

"Goin' under, ya'll!" With the press of a button, the car grew a propeller as they dove into the Daisy River. Taking the short route back, he would continue to drive this way.

"Amazing, brother!" Drible shouted.

Bow remained silent.

Dryden only smirked in response. After a bit more driving, they would eventually make it to the castle, and parked outside the garage. "Come on!" With no hesitation, the three made their way inside of the castle, and were dripping wet.

"That was...amazing! You got us here in record time, brother!"

Bow on the other hand wasn't exactly happy. The biggest cold stare she could muster was plastered on her face as she floated there, still dripping went on the outside, and fuming with rage on the inside.

However, before any of them could speak on anything else, the sound of a sharpy cry came from the throne room. "Take this!"

"What?" Drible blinked, clearly recognizing the voice, "Madam Daisy!" He broke into a sprint, and made his way towards the throne room.

"Huh? Dude, wait!" Dryden shouted as he ran after his brother.

"..." Bow's eye twitched slightly. She did not take being ignored very well. However, instead of throwing bladed fans at them, she decided to simply follow them to see what was going on.

Daisy was seen holding her baseball bat and looking fierce. "I can't see you, but I know you're there you...thing!"

Drible ran up to her, "Madam Daisy!"

"Stay back!"

Before he could get there, a sudden blast of magic sent the Dry Bones skidding across the floor into the next room. Apparently it was some kind of magical force field that kept everyone else out.

"Ooh you are...you are _dead_ to me!" Daisy shouted, "Show yourself ya milquetoast dipstick coward!" Nothing was there. To most she would look like someone insane, that is, until a voice boomed.

"Foolish, little princess. All you have to do is give me what I want, and this will all be over." Another blast of magic shot down at her, only for her to quickly dodge by jumping up.

Bow's eyes grew wide. Something about that voice was familiar, "...No….it can't...that better not be…."

"Get out of here!" Daisy shouted at them, as she rolled out of the way of a blue flame the size of a Mega Mushroom. "NOW!" She turned back to the disembodied voice, "I am _not_ letting you take her!"

"Hm...that's just what I was counting on." Within a second, both Dry Bones were both locked in mesh cages, and the exit to the throne room was shut tight, and coated in a black aura. "Immune to Boo phasing. Now, if you give up, I will release your friends, take what I desire, and leave."

"Over my dead body!" Daisy screamed at the voice, "Come on!"

The room began to visibly shake, as if the voice became enraged. Which it did. The room would start shaking and slowly fill with a dark purple glow that looked akin to a black hole. Everyone in the room looked up at the energy with stoned expressions of disbelief. All would fall silent except for the beaming noise made by the glowing purple energy...

All the sudden, a black cannonball would break through one of the glass windows and fly right at the purple energy. Upon contact, it would explode in a fiery mass of contorted energy that forced it into a purple wave that spread outwards, becoming harmless.

"Aggh!" The voice would cry out. "Who dares?!"

Everyone shielded themselves instinctively, but when they noticed the energy was slowly disappearing, they only became more confused to the point of straight speechlessness. That is, until Daisy broke the silence.

"What in the monkey fightin' snakes on the monday-to-friday plane…."


	34. Prepare Yourself

Chapter 34: Prepare Yourself

"Show yourself!" The voice boomed once more. "Who dares interrupt me?!" A ball of electricity would form this time, being launched out of the window in the direction of which the cannonball came from.

This time, two red boxing glove projectiles would fly out, and punch the lightning ball out of its way, much to the voice's annoyance. At the same time, a revving engine started humming in the distance...

"Confound these useless ingrates!"

Bow decided to speak up in a voice that was soft yet more serious than she had been to either of the Dry Bones. "Show yourself…..now. Or I will make you…my magic can still hurt you while you're invisible. You know I did it once, and I can do it again…"

Dryden turned to his brother and mouthed the words, 'Do what again?'

The whole room seemed to pause for the longest moment. Finally, the disembodied voice revealed themselves via a magical explosion of dark energy, and a mighty cackle. "Ahahah! Oh, Bow how sweet you are. Just like you used to be."

"Don't talk to me that way…" she paused as well, "Tyrant."

"Ahem! The name is _King_ Boo." The massive ectoplasmic monarch grinned devilishly, "Notice the handsome crown and milk white teeth? Not to mention this amazingly long tongue."

Bow rolled her eyes, "Spare me your so-called witticisms."

The revving engine would grow nearer...

Daisy stared up at King Boo, glaring at him intensely, "You...what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? No wait, let me put it into words for a mortal like you to understand: Bow, mine, you, out. Get it? Of course you do!" King Boo cackled and floated upside-down momentarily, "Why wouldn't you? I figured it would merely be the best deal you ever made."

Daisy folded her arms, "Oh yeah? What deal? The deal of getting your face slapped off your ugly body?"

Bow blinked, clearly slightly nerved at King Boo being called ugly for some reason. "...Surely you can find better ways to insult him."

"Eh? Why does it matter?" Daisy looked at Bow, "don't you hate him too?" 

Bow fell silent at this.

King Boo cackled, "She knows she loves me." He flipped right-side up, "But that she knows that she will _never_ match up to what I am. Not physically nor magically."

"You actually like this idiot?!"

"Used to…" Bow sighed, "But that's in the past."

"Yet, like me, it still comes to haunt you." King Boo smirked at her.

The engine noises grew even nearer...

Bow fell quiet once more, which prompted Daisy to step forward. She cracked her knuckles, "If this is how it's gonna go down, then I'll kick your flabby butt all the way back to that stupid mansion myself."

"Ooh, a woman who wants to fight me. How sweet." The giant Boo shook his head and looked directly at Bow, "I'm sure it will turn out as well as the last time it occurred."

"Shut yo white face up, and fight me." Daisy threatened.

"With a mouth like that, you'd think your father would've punished it out of you." King Boo smirked, trying to get her riled up on purpose.

Daisy's veins bulged on her hands from sheer anger, "Grr….don't you dare talk about my pops!"

"Aw, what's wrong?" King Boo puffed his hands against his cheeks to make a baby face at her, "Someone mad at their daddy because they didn't get that pony you wanted for your birthday?"

"Grr…!" Daisy did her best to control her anger.

All the while, the revving engine had gotten so close, it would sound as if a car was about to crash into the side of the throne room. Then, all the sudden, another cannonball would drop into the room, and release a screen of smoke that blinded King Boo for a moment.

"Ah What is this!?" The Boo hissed.

Within a split second, the sound of a loud _clank_ followed by a few punches landing could be heard from inside the smoke. "Take this! And that!" An audible grunt of pain came from the Boo as the smoke slowly started to clear up. From it, emerged a Koopa-Koopaling to be exact. "Hey, Daisy."

"Larry?!" Everyone sans Bow and King Boo shouted.

Larry Koopa walked towards them, "What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you what…" King Boo suddenly gripped the Koopaling in a levitation hold, bringing him right up to his face, "You've got some nerve blindsiding me like that, and not fighting me like you have any good sense. And why are you even here? I thought Bowser and I were allies."

"Ya'll are…" Larry answered nervously, "But he sent me here to check it out when he saw the dark clouds above Daisy's castle. Why? Because we're neutral with Daisy's Kingdom and the very minute you attack it-we're all in trouble. Even if Daisy somehow managed to clear us from it, her citizens are gonna give her endless backbreak over the decision!"

King Boo rolled his eyes, "You kids. All you do today is why would Bowser send the weakest link out here to check on me? Why not the strong ones, Roy and Morton? Or the actual smart ones like Ludwig and Iggy. Even _Lemmy_ could provide more of a challenge because of the unpredictability of idiots like him. And Wendy could probably take me no problem. But you...you're just a misfit of an overgrown worm." Admittedly, he was exaggerating those points on purpose. For someone of his level, it'd be hard to take him down alone. However, he spoke that way to force inferiority upon Larry to hamper his self-esteem if he chose to fight.

Larry took that somewhat to heart as expected, and got angry in retaliation. "No I ain't! I'll take you on no problem!" he growled.

The ghost king simply cackled, and let out a sigh as he finished laughing at what he thought was the funniest joke he had heard in centuries. "Tell ya what…" he tossed Larry over next to Daisy, "If you two can beat me, then I will leave. If not, Bow comes with me."

Daisy bit her lip and looked over at Bow. The female Boo had no real expression upon her face other than simple blankness. Even Daisy herself was unsure of what might happen, but she wasn't going to back down. "...Bow, you know we got this, right?"

Bow wasn't exactly keen on others fighting for her. She wanted to do it herself. But considering the fact that she knew Daisy was tough, tougher than she was, she didn't have much of a choice. Not to mention the idea of seeing King Boo fall to a human and a little koopa sounded downright delicious to her, making her crack a small smile. "Go for it."

"Yeah!" Larry grinned as he summoned his clown car with his scepter, "Come on, tubby! Green Stache been you _twice_. We can do it just as-"

Suddenly, King Boo hissed loud enough to cause the entire room to shake, "DO _NOT_ MENTION HIM IN MY PRESENCE."

Daisy smirked to herself as she realized something. Something that could give them an edge in the fight, "I got an idea," she then whispered low mutters into Larry's ear which the Koopaling responded to with an affirming grin.

"Hehehehe…." he rubbed his hands together just like he watched Bowser do.

"We'll take you on…" Daisy stepped forward, holding her baseball bat threateningly as if she was ready to beat someone on the streets with it. _"Just like old times…"_

Larry laughed to himself, and pressed a few buttons on the Clown Car module. It got its boxing gloves out, ready to battle, "Let's go."

King Boo simply laughed at them both. "Oh, joy. How interesting. New toys to play with."

"Oh so you do like to play with dolls!" Daisy teased, as she ran forward

"Hah! Attack!" Larry chuckled as he drove his Clown Car at King Boo

The Boo narrowed his eyes at them, "Idiots…" he muttered as another ball of magic, this time red, formed in front of him.

The battle began.


	35. Round One

Chapter 35: Round One

(Note: King Boo currently has his appearance from Dark Moon.)

King Boo released the magical energy ball at Daisy and Larry. It barreled at them with a fiery intensity, heating up the entire room as it flew past.

As it did, Daisy dove into a somersault to avoid the fireball. With a grunt, she flung her bat at him with a powerful throw.

A laugh came from the massive ball of ectoplasm as he nonchalantly turned the bat to ashes. However, this was merely a distraction as the hotheaded princess followed up right after with a punch aimed right for the ghost's jaw.

This, while unexpected, was not a problem for King Boo as he simply moved out of the way of her punch to which she missed. Instead, she landed on the ground, and looked up. The ghost king would then float high into the air, and crash down, causing the entire ground to shake and break apart.

"Woah!" Daisy panicked, trying to find a place to get proper footing. "Crap crap crap…."

Larry would suddenly grab her hand, and pull her up into his clown car. "It's just an illusion! Don't let it get to you!"

"How are we gonna hit him?"

Without warning, two horizontally parallel beams of darkness flew at them. "Look out!" Larry ducked, holding Daisy down with him, narrowly missing the rays. "We need to get in close somehow!"

"Oh come now, children!" King Boo cackled, "Don't you know how to respect your elders?"

"You just called yourself, old, yo." Daisy taunted.

"Ooh, you will eat those words…." Using the gem on his crown, he summoned three black Boos with yellow eyes and teeth. In seconds, all three were flung at the two.

"Daisy look out! Shield!" Larry pushed her off, and as soon as he did, the three Bomb Boos would crash into the Koopaling with an explosion that sent him flying, and lodging him into the stone wall. "Ow…." Luckily, the shield the clown car created protecting him from most of the damage.

"Cheap move, bust-woah!" she quickly evaded another blast of magic from King Boo, "Reall-" she took a pause to avoid another magic blast, "Can ya-"

King Boo laughed as he kept firing magic, only for Daisy to dodge it. He had to admit, she was fast, faster than he had expected from a human. "Hahaha! Dance, princess, dance!"

Naturally, this was starting to tire Daisy, not to mention irritate her."Grr! I had enough of yer crap!" She placed her palm on the floor, and in a flash, a dome of flowers surrounded her body. Just as quickly, one of King Boo's magic blasts reflected back at him, inducing a swelling confusion within him.

"...Wha?" In his perplexion, he didn't even foresee his own magic heading right back at him, sending him staggering somewhat from the effects as it stunned him. "Aggh! ….How?!"

Daisy smirked as she rose from the confines of the flower dome. "Like that? I call it my Greenhouse Rebound."

All the while, Larry was gingerly picking himself up from the crash, and dusted himself off as if it was a minor scratch. "Huh?" His eyes locked onto the scene before him, as he got an idea. "Hehehe...computer...set the thrusters on the CC to 250CC." He waved Daisy over, "Psst, I got a plan."

After the two huddled up and went over their plan, Daisy shivered, "Um...are you sure this is a good idea."

Larry smirked as he spoke in a very masculine, yet cocky tone, "You shouldn't worry too much, dear. You'll soon be free of all of this anyway."

"Uh...did you just quote-"

Lary smirked, "Yes, yes I did. Now let's get him."

This was something King Boo did not expect. He was aware that Peach wasn't a pushover, when she wanted to be, but never before had he fought Daisy. "Hm...no matter...I…" By the time he looked up, he would see Princess Daisy being literally flung toward him at a high speed. "What the-?!"

"Jet Dash."

Daisy had been thrown by one of arms of Larry's clown car, and was aiming a flying kick at King Boo, "Weeaaaaahhh!" she yelled a cheesy karate movie yell.

King Boo narrowed his eyes with a flat expression. So much that he looked as if someone tried to tell him that Boos can die. "Are you kidding me?" He simply grabbed ahold of Daisy with telekinesis, and tossed her aside as if she was yesterday's news. But behind Daisy was a sight to behold.

"Nyeheheh! You think you're a tyrant? _I_ will show you the tyrant!" Larry had jet propelled himself out of his Clown Car, and was flying towards King Boo at a fast pace. But before he got there, he swung a Mechakoopa at him with his hammer, "Blitz Slam!" The robot koopa exploded in front of King Boo.

"What?! What the heck?!" The Boo hissed. The explosion did no damage, as the detonation itself was yet another tool for distraction as Larry came flying dead at him through the blast's smoke.

"Gotcha!" First came an overhead strike with his hammer upon King Boo's face, followed by two punches, and to finish it all off, he gripped both of his claws into King Boo's body, and pushed off of him with both legs-drop kicking him right in the face. Landing on the ground, the Koopaling smirked up at the Boo, "Thought you were quicker than that!"

This time, Daisy was the one who had been dusting herself off after a nasty hit. By the time she was on her feet once more, she saw Larry land his attacks with ease. "Alright, Larry!"

"Gah!" King Boo staggered back a little bit more from all the attacks. Boos weren't exactly the most physically capable species. Not even King Boo himself without a certain spell, "I see I will have to take this fight seriously." From his crown, a yellow surge of magic would fill the room, and Larry would suddenly be put in a trance with his eyes turning solid yellow.

"..."

In his mind, he would hear voices all around him.

" _Weakling."_

" _Runt."_

 _"Idiot."_

" _Clown."_

 _"Whiner."_

After a moment or two, Larry's eyes would return normal, and he would start shuddering nervously, staring off into space. "..."

"Larry?" Daisy walked up to him, and tapped his shoulder, to which the Koopaling would simply respond to by sitting on the ground in a fetal position. "What did you do?" Daisy asked, glaring at King Boo.

He would merely cackle at this, "Oh ye of little prowess. You haven't experienced what it truly means to suffer, have you?" He floated down to glare at her, eye-to-eye, "To feel every waking moment of your life shrouded in inferiority and jealousy? Oh wait, of course you do!"

Daisy rolled her eyes, "If you're here to go on in my ear about how you think I'm jealous of Peach, I'll admit right now, that I used to be until I realized that I'm worth more than to be some bitterly jealous sack of crap. But that's not the issue. The issue here is me beating your butt so you can leave. You're starting to give me a rash with your edge."

"..." King Boo smirked, "So go ahead then. Give me your best shot."

As soon as he finished that sentence, Daisy would try kicking him right in the face...except he wasn't there. "Huh?" She looked around, and noticed that everything had changed. Everything was pitch black around her, even underfoot. Nothing could be seen except herself, and Larry who was slowly coming to a stop with his shivering.

"What just happened…" Larry mumbled as he started looking around the room. "Where are we…?"

"I dunno, but something tells me King Lardface Mcgee has something to do with it," Daisy replied. "Stay sharp, aight?"

Larry nodded in response and took a look around. "Don't see anything...don't hear anything…."

"Wait for it…." she muttered.

Both of them looked up as the ghost king's voice rang through the air, _"Hope you had fun in your little castle….now you play by my rules…."_

"And there it is…" Daisy looked at Larry, "You ready?"

Larry grinned as he summoned his clown car again. "Pff. His talk is cheap We got this."


	36. Round Two

Chapter 36: Round Two

"Oh ye of utmost confidence," his voice rang once more, "do you not realize what you are dealing with?"

Daisy snorted, "Hey, this is the pocket dimension thing Luigi told me abo-" A sudden strike across the face cut her off. There was no real way of determining the origin as it was invisible. "Oof!"

"NEVER MENTION THAT NAME." The insane voice of King Boo shouted.

Larry growled at this. "Ey! What's your problem pickin' on ladies, eh? You mad that Bow won't drop and kiss you. Just 'cuz you're bigger don't mean you're better, ya know."

"Ooooooooh! Burn city up in this hizzy!" Daisy shouted.

"Argh. Why must I deal with such...insolence?" King Boo's voice grumbled.

"Because you choose to be insolent yourself maybe?" Larry said with a laugh before being slapped across the face and stumbled off his feet by the same invisible force. "Ow."

"Oh, real mature picking on a kid," Daisy shook her head, "And you wonder why Bow doesn't like you. You're a hazard to children! You would never make it with her, let alone would she let you take care of any children."

"Can Boos even have children?" Larry asked as he stood up.

"That's a good question…."

"Ya know I read somewhere that-"

"QUIET!" The ghost monarch shouted. So loud that it nearly swept the two off their feet with gale force winds. From there, the floor beneath them suddenly started shaking with the intensity of a 7.0 earthquake. Along with that, the floor would suddenly change to...water?

Daisy and Larry suddenly found themselves in water, yet everything was still pitch black. All along the floor, everything seemed to have changed into water as well with no real way to tell if there was solid ground anywhere. All would be silent in the emptiness as well, as if King Boo had disappeared...

"Woah! What just happened?" Daisy cried out as she suddenly felt the cool liquid around her. Larry meanwhile, had taken shelter in his shell as small grunts and grumbles were heard from within the Clow Car that was floating above the water. This prompted the redheaded princess to check on him. "Uh, Larry? You ok, there?"

The Koopaling would emerge moments later from his shell, and held up his scepter. "Here it is. I need this."

"For what?"

Larry shook his wand around, "So we can get some friggin' light here."

"Yeah, ain't that weird….I can only see you and that's it. Nothing else. Not even the water I'm floating in."

Larry turned away from her for a moment to try and fix his wand. "Yeah, but we'll get outta here. Right, Daisy?" There was no response, sending a startling chill down the Koopa's spine, "Um...Daisy?" He slowly turned around to find that she was gone…. "Ah! Daisy where'd you go?!"

There was no clear response besides cackling in the far distance. Daisy meanwhile, suddenly found herself being dragged through the water. She wanted to scream, but the water was zipping past her ears too fast for her to even realize what was going on. It was dark, and looked as if she was being dragged through nothing but emptiness. Her face grew frantic with horror as she tried to figure out what was happening.

And then, all the sudden, she would be able to breath again. Everything would be clear, and her ears were no longer pounding with a throbbing intensity. It was as if she had been snapped awake from a year long coma. She started coughing and took deep breaths as she breathed in the surface air. "...Gosh dangit what the…huh?" The blackness was gone-in fact, everything was seemingly normal as she woke up. However, something was...different. "Huh? Peach's place? All that stuff must've been a dream?"

In front of her was Princess Toadstool's castle. It was still dark and raining as hard as it was before she made it to _her_ castle. But something about all of it was...strange. "...What's going on?" She muttered as she was soon soaking wet. Everything felt and seemed real enough to almost convince her that she was back in the Mushroom Kingdom. "Ok...better be careful…" 

The brunette princess walked towards her best friend's castle. In the nighttime rain, it looked much different with many yellow glowing beams of light shining through the windows. As she got closer, Daisy would be able to hear the sounds of laughter around a table. "Huh?" She decided to look through one of the windows, and saw the silhouettes of four figures. One of them being Peach. "Yes!" 

Quickly, she ran to the front door, and rapped upon it with her fist. "Yo, Peach! You there?"

After a moment or two, the door would slowly creak open. The blonde princess in her usual pink dress looked at Daisy, "Yes?"

"Oh, thank goodness it's you, Peach. I was having the craziest dream. King Boo was there and-"

Peach held her hand up, "Excuse me? First of all, do I know you? And second of all, King Boo doesn't exist anymore."

"...What?"

"Oh yes, Luigi handled him years ago." She stared at the flower princess, "But that doesn't tell me who you are."

"Uh, it's me, Daisy? Your best friend since childhood?"

Peach shook her head, "I'm sorry, but no one with that name has ever crossed my mind."

"What?! Alright look," she tried looking over Peach's head, "Is Luigi here?"

"Yes. But why do you ask? He has enough crazed fans attacking him and his girlfriend everyday as it is. He certainly doesn't need someone like you poking around in his business," the Mushroom princess replied sternly.

"Look, can ya just get him, please? Surely he knows m-did you say… _girlfriend?"_

Peach simply rolled her eyes, and went inside for a moment. A little while later, the younger of the Mario Brothers would answer the door, "Myes?"

"Luigi!" Daisy put her arms around him in a hug, "Please tell Peach she can drop the joke."

"Um…" he somewhat pushed Daisy away and dusted himself off. "What joke?"

"The joke about her not knowing me." Daisy scoffed, "Come on, I'm sure you know her and her little pranks by now."

Luigi exchanged a look of confusion with Peach and looked back at Daisy, "Have we met before or something?"

Daisy blinked, "We've known each other since we were babies! Hello, I'm the princess of Sarasaland, people! Don't ya'll know who you're talking to?"

"Eugh...no princess would ever talk like that." Luigi told her, "Or dress like that. What self-respecting princess would wear...anything like that?"

Daisy looked down at herself. Her clothes had changed. Instead of the dress she made from earlier, she was now wearing a simple white T shirt, and a pair of baggy pants that look like they had been out in the streets too long, patches of dirt all along her body, and not wearing any shoes on her feet. "What…?"

"And besides," Peach interjected, "Sarasaland had been destroyed in Bowser's assault many years ago. It would have been rebuilt, but no one considered it or its ruler to be important enough to take the time to put back together."

Daisy took a long pause. That stung. Hard. It felt to her as if someone thrown her into a pit of fire. However, she wanted some answers, "...What? So...what happened?" 

"I know who can answer that." Luigi said before turning his head around, and motioning for someone to come to the door. When they did, Daisy's heart skipped a beat as she realized what was going on.

...It was Rosalina.

"Yes, honey?" The space princess asked Luigi, "You want me to explain what happened?" After her husband nodded, Rosalina began to give the details to Daisy, "After Sarasaland was destroyed, I used my magic to pave over the entire land. It is now my personal home away from home. Where the Lumas can laugh and play with other earthlings. I call it: Rosaland."

"That's right," Peach said in agreement, "So do you have anymore questions?"

This was simply too much for Daisy to process all at once. Everything was hitting home right into her heart. No one wanting to help her family's kingdom, her friends abandoning and forgetting about her, and her one true love being stolen right out from under her nose. It was enough to make her snap into a rage. However, there was still something that she wanted to ask. "Why do you like her?"

"Why?" Luigi replied, "Well only because she's the most important thing in the universe to me. Nobody matters more compared to her."

"..." Daisy rubbed her arm, "I see…"

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have wedding plans to set up…" Luigi said before turning and walking back inside with Rosalina following.

Daisy froze. It was as if the entire world seemed to slow to a crawl around her upon hearing those two words: "Wedding plans." She nearly passed out right then and there if it weren't for the fact that Peach was still standing there.

"Um, hello? Are you done?" Peach asked, "We get enough fans asking for stories and stuff everyday." 

"Um...how long have they been together?" Daisy asked.

"Since they were children. It's so nice to see when real soul mates find their true partner in life and not some poser who thinks they're all that." Peach smirked to herself, "I remember one person who thought she could actually mean something just because she had a different personality. Poor girl didn't last a second in the world because her friends were much prettier, did more, and were actually worth something."

"...Huh. Isn't that strange."

"Not when you live under my rule…" Peach turned around to walk back inside, and stopped, "But for now, it is time for you to leave. You've had your little interview, now begone before you are cited for trespassing." She shook her head and went inside, muttering, "A hobo pretending to be a princess...now I've seen everything."

As the door closed, the flower princess didn't know what to do. It was as if she was still within a trance from pure shock, trying to hold back the tears that inevitably ran down her face. _"This can't be real. This can't be real. This can't be…"_ With a whole mix of emotions swelling within her gut, she simply did the first thing she thought of: Run. She ran and ran, and kept running into teh forest as if that would solve her problem.

However, despite this, she kept getting lost and ended up right back at Peach's castle. No matter how many times she ran away into the forest, it would end up throwing her back into the courtyard of Peach's castle. It was as if the constant repetition was taunting her, showing her simply how unavoidable the entire thing was, and she just couldn't take it anymore.

After a while, she stopped, and sat on her knees. Out of breath, and out of effort to continue running, she felt pitiful, gelid, and forgotten. Her greatest fear in the universe had been realized, and she was going to be endlessly tormented by it, as if the scenario was trying to engrave itself upon her subconscious.

"No….I….It can't…"

The rain continued to pour down around her, and ran down along her skin, mixing with the tears that had been streaming from her eyes the entire time. She stared at the castle in front of her in complete silence for a long moment until she muttered softly.

"It can't end like this…"


	37. Faker

Chapter 37: Faker

As Daisy sat on her knees, a voice would speak to her from all angles at a soft tone. "...People are like geodes, girl…"

She sighed, "Now I'm going insane…" 

"Yes, you are." A light chuckle resonated in the wind, "Isn't it delicious how amazing it is to see someone groveling on their knees? To reduce even the toughest of people down to tears?"

"That's what you think…" Daisy muttered.

"Oh?"

"I'm not the toughest person I know. And surely not the toughest of everyone around." She shrugged, "But it's a part of who I am to act this way. It's how my dad raised me."

The voice scoffed, "Oh, please...he wasn't that great."

"How dare you say anything about my pops? He's the greatest man on the planet. Taught me everything I know including how to stand up to mean idiots who think I'm just a pretty face and nothing else."

"But are you sure he really left as he said he did…." A tall figure wearing a purple robe laced with white fur trim, started walking towards her from behind.

"Well, yeah…" Daisy sighed, not too comfortable with talking about this particular subject. "He's retired."

A hand was placed upon her shoulder. The hand of an older gentleman who had the appearance of royalty. This was Daisy's father. "Well, yes. I am. But that doesn't mean I'm gone."

"..Daddy?" She looked up and nearly broke into more tears, "Oh thank goodness!" She rose to her feet and hugged him tightly. The gems on her crown flashed solid white, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"So am I, my little flower."

"Wait, how did you get here?"

The man chuckled once more, "I am always with you, my little flower. Even if I'm not always there, I'm always in here." He placed his hand on her head.

"Thanks...I really appreciate that." Daisy sniffled, trying to hold back her now joyful tears. "Any chance of me getting out of here?"

"Well, I am somewhat unsure of that…."

"Why not?"

The man suddenly pushed his her away, and held a scepter as his eyes glowed red. His voice had also changed, sounding corrupted. "Because you will not escape."

"Dad….what?" Daisy looked absolutely petrified.

"Gullible, human. I am not your father." The man cackled, "I am your worst nightmare!"

"..." Daisy facepalmed. This was clearly King Boo trying to play her. This entire time, it was King Boo. "Ya know you're dirtier than Bowser, right? Trying to mess with my heart by being my dad? That's real frickin' low."

King Boo still cackled within the form of Daisy's father, "The only way out is to fight me!"

"No."

"Ahaha! Then you will per-wait what?"

Daisy had pulled out a file, and casually started filing her nails, "I said no, dangit. You ain't worth a lick of my time to be fightin' when I could easily break outta here myself now that I know it's you behind all this. And I bet you were the one who stole my clothes. Wanted to get my personal things, huh, perv?"

"You dare deny King Boo a fight?!" He growled, "I _own_ you right now! You have _zero_ room to try and speak here."

"Pff, Luigi beat your wimp behind easily. You're stronger than Bowser for crying out loud and you get beaten by _one_ Mario Brother. _Twice!_ " She laughed, "Hah! I'd sooner wrestle with Toadette than you."

The mention of Luigi was one thing, but being compared to Bowser, and being told he wasn't worthy of a fight was beyond triggering for him. "...YOU IMBECILE! ARE YOU EVEN AWARE OF WHICH THE CALIBER OF WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?! I _KNEW_ BOW WAS COMING TO VISIT YOU AND RANSACKED YOUR STUFF TO STRESS YOU OUT. THEN WHEN SHE ARRIVED, I KNEW SHE WOULD DRIVE YOUR SERVANT WOULD BE STUCK HELPING HER AND YOU WOULD TOO."

Daisy didn't even bat an eye at the ghost as she held out her hand to get a good look at her nails. "Yeah, keep talkin'."

"I COULD LITERALLY SNAP YOU IN TWO RIGHT NOW, AND YOU DARE DENY ME IN COMBAT?!"

Daisy finally looked up at King Boo with a smirk, "Maybe I should call Luigi to snap your face into a lesser shade of ugly ya droopy-eyed, poor excuse for a haunted house attraction, blob of fat milk lookin' freak."

"..." In that moment, King Boo snapped, breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter. "...AHAHAHAH! WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE FREAK WHEN I'M DONE!" From his crown, shot what seemed like at least thirty bolts of dark magic towards Daisy.

Daisy simply flipped her hair back and smirked as the magic bolts came for her. All the sudden, a wall of thick hedges appeared in front of her, absorbing the attack. Behind said wall, Daisy crouched down as if she was getting ready to run…

Meanwhile, Larry was busy trying to find his way through the darkness when he heard the sound of magic being used in the distance. _"...That has to be where they are. He's focusing his magic more on her than anything else. That means…"_ The water underneath him was gone, allowing him to move freely towards the sound. "Yes! Hang on, Daisy!" He started making his way down.

King Boo, as Larry knew, was focusing his magic more on Daisy at the moment with Daisy than anything else. When he saw she put up thick hedges as a defense, he blinked, "What?!" He looked over them, and saw that Daisy was no long behind them either, "...Show yourself, you readheaded worm! What do you think you're doing?!"

Daisy's voice called out to him from seemingly all angles just as he did to her before. "You're not the only one who knows how to mess with people's heads..."


	38. Takedown

Chapter 38: Takedown

Larry flew in his clown car through the darkness. Everything would start to slowly take a shape around him as King Boo's magic grew fainter and fainter within the area. This meant that Larry was not only getting closer to Daisy, but that the entire time, they weren't in simple pure darkness at all. It was all an illusion a part of King Boo's zone.

" _Clever dude…"_ Larry thought to himself as he sped up the engine, _"This guy got some good magic stuff. He was playing us the whole freakin' time. Better hurry up and finish this quick!"_

King Boo himself meanwhile was turning around in every direction to try and locate the flower princess. "Where are you you ugly misfit of a broken half-life?!"

The shouting would be met with simple silence for the longest moment. All would come to a slow crawl around the area. That is, until Daisy suddenly started dive bombing towards the ghost king from the air, aiming a hard punch to his head. Both her knuckles were equipped with entanglements of rose thorns that were shaped to form thorn knuckles. Of course, due to her own magic, they didn't harm her, but to her opponent…

Bam! One good sock to the King's head and it immediately made him gasp with pain. The thorns were sharp and had landed their mark pretty well.

"Agh! How dare you?!" He would suddenly begin to feel sluggish as Daisy jumped off of him, "What the….what…"

Daisy smirked as she landed on the ground firmly, "Not telling, hun." In reality, King Boo had been poisoned by the thorns she used to punch him with. Now he would be taking damage every so often.

Meanwhile...

At last, Larry had made it out of the void of blackness, and into the rainy forest in which he heard sounds of attacks landing. "Which way, which way…." he muttered as he followed the sounds.

Back with the other two, Daisy was still "fighting" King Boo. The ghost had already lost every shrivel of patience he had left, and wanted to remove her from the face of existence if it meant getting what he wanted. "You…" He muttered, "I will destroy you!" The effects of the poison were taking effect, albeit slowly.

"Whatcha got, come on?" Daisy folded her arms, "Might as well do something to keep me entertained."

King Boo glared at her, and used his crown to summon three ghostly lions that ran straight for her. "Try this!"

"Woah…" Daisy actually took a step back for a moment. Lions. That was new coming from King Boo. Ghost lions at that. However, this didn't worry her too much, as she had a plan. "Here kitty kitty…." she taunted with a small grin.

True to their real life selves, the three lions stalked the princess as they grew near, and slowly started to circle her. Then, without warning, one of them leapt at her with almost a blur of white.

Ghost or not, Daisy didn't enjoy hurting animals. Instead of directly fighting them back, she threw small pellets from her hand. "Sweet dreams!" The pellets were lavender scented mini-bombs that would induce drowsiness. On contact with the lions, two of them had fallen asleep immediately. "Yeah! Wait…" she took note of the fact that one was missing. "...Crap."

The ghost lion that had gone for her first had jumped over her entirely, and to her backside. From there, it would charge her from behind, and pin her to the ground. "Ahh! Hey!" The weight of the lion's paws were fierce and pushing heavily upon her despite it being a ghost. "Grrr!"

But before Daisy could make any sort of advance to try and push it off, a ghostly spring would launch her into the air, "Woah!" followed by a punch directly to the gut from a fist of dark energy that sent her flying back a few paces but landed on the ground with little struggle. "Hm." A smirk grew on her face, "That all you got?" As soon as she said that, two white ghost arms rose up from the ground where she stood, and attached themselves to her wrists and ankles, locking her in place. "Hey!"

"Ahahah!" King Boo cackled again, "Let's see how you'll make it out of this one, when I drain all of your magic from your very being!"

"Unnh!" No matter what she did to struggle, Daisy simply could not get free of the ghost arms as they started to suck away at her mana, "Really, dawg? You think that can stop me?" She pulled on them hard enough to move fifty pounds with ease, but that did nothing but make them latch more forcefully, "Ow! Ugrh! Really? You can't stand to fight me with my abilities so you take 'em away?"

"You really think that is all I am after?" the ghost king chortled, "I am after your _soul._ I will shatter your subconscious and make you a living zombie. No one will know or care that you've disappeared from the face of the earth either!"

"Grr! Don't get cocky, bro. You still gotta deal with Larry!" She screamed at him.

"Pff!" The Boo scoffed, "What is _he_ gonna do? Force me to play dollies or dress up? Ooh, or maybe he'll bore me to death with sucking on his wittle thumb? Or maybe…"

As the King ranted on about how much he considered Larry to be worthless, the blue-shelled Koopaling had finally made it to where the action was happening. He froze as he heard everything said about him, and by now, simply had enough. He clenched his left claw into a fist, and his wand in his right. The young koopa slowly stepped out into the clearing in the middle of the forest where King Boo and Daisy was, and spoke in a voice that was low and seemingly calm, but filled with intense subconscious anger.

"I don't have anymore tears to shed."

"...baby whining tutu wearing-" King Boo was cut off by the Koopaling's sudden interjection, "Aw, that's so cute! Look at him trying to sound tough with his little quotes!"

"You think you're funny, huh?" Larry asked him, looking into the King's eyes, "If it wasn't for the fact that you were allied with the boss, I'd take you down and put you in the dirt! Well guess what? Whoever you're talking about right now doesn't exist. I'll show you who I _really_ am."

Daisy watched as Larry walked in and cheered for him, "Get 'em man!"

King Boo simply fell into another laughing fit. "Hahahahah! Ok, what game are we playing? Hopscotch, frisbee?"

Larry's scepter suddenly turned into a tennis racket with his face symbol within the mesh. At the same time, he conjured a ball of blue fire in his claw, "I prefer tennis."

King Boo laughed at him once again, "HAH! You think you can hurt me with that?! Go ahead and try it."

Larry shrugged, and served up the fireball, sending it flying and hitting the massive ghost, and doing nothing more than bouncing off.

"Hahahahaha!" King Boo continued laughing at him. So hard that the trees in the forest flinched from the booming of his cackle. However, the fireball did more than what he had expected as the ghost king spontaneously lit up in a blue flame that surrounded his body, causing the ghost to then scream, "Aaaah! Rotten little piece of feculent scum!" Fortunately, the king had a breaker spell which he used to force push the fire off of him with a blast of brown magic. "Grr! You!"

But Larry was standing where he was when the ghost monarch tried to confront him. Instead, Larry was in his clown car once more, atop a tree behind King Boo. He pressed a button, and the clown car fired a cannonball straight at King Boo followed by Larry launching _himself_ out of the cannon with his hammer at the ready. "YAAAAH!"

The cannonball slammed into King Boo's backside, exploding into a fiery explosion with shrapnel flying into him. "AHH!"

"Take this!" Larry would then follow that up with a swing of his hammer down upon him.

"Grrr!" King Boo was growing irritated and grabbed Larry in a magical hold, "Looks like you aren't the weakling that I thought you were…"

Larry grunted with struggle as he tried his best to get out of the magical aura that was crushing his body. "No duh, Sherlock. Unh! What do ya need someone to help you figure out how ugly your face is too?"

"Shut up! I am the epitome of spectral handsomeness!" He controlled the magical grip that held the Koopa, and flung him towards the trees.

"Ahhh! Oof!" Larry slammed against a tree trunk hard enough to leave an imprint of his shape on the side of it. "Uhh…." he groaned and fell off. After a moment or two, he picked himself up, shaking his head. He wasn't the most durable of the Koopalings, but he certainly wasn't about to give up. "Cheap move," he dusted himself off.

"Come on, Larry! You got him!" Daisy shouted from where she stood.

King Boo laughed. "Your pain is amusing. Come forth little child! Face me!"

With his scepter in hand, the Koopaling smirked, "More like your face in the dirt!" and broke into a sprint headed straight in a beeline for King Boo.

His turn had come.


	39. Finish Him

Chapter 39: Finish Him

"YEAAAAH!" Larry dashed towards King Boo, bent on giving him no mercy. Then, with no pretenses, jumped high into the air. This prompted King to look up.

"Get back here, coward!" He floated upwards…

Daisy meanwhile, still tangled by the ghost arms, looked up as well, "Come on, Larry...you got this…"

"Ahem." The small koopa boy cleared his throat, "I'm down here."

"Lar-!"

He cut her off by shushing her, "Shhh! Don't let him know I'm here. I sent a duplicate image of myself into the sky. Just let me…" he reached down to use his scepter to set her free, "Ok...now you need to get your head down…"

Daisy rubbed her wrists as she was freed, and felt woozy from how much her magic had been drained. "Woah...I need to _sit_ down." She put her hand on her forehead, "Having your magic drained sucks…."

"Look, don't worry." Larry smirked and held up his scepter, "You just stand back while I take care of the rest of this. Your magic meanwhile, is gonna return soon. But what we have to do is knock the gem off of his crown to make him lose his magic and become weak." He took a few steps forward, "And when I say so, you _finish him,_ " he said dramatically before snickering, "You ready?"

Daisy nodded in response.

"Then let's make some magic happen…." Hoisting his scepter as high as he could, a blue flare exited the tip and flew out in all directions as it went into the sky despite the rain as these were not ordinary flames. Each flare split off into a flurry of smaller ones as they fanned out from each other, and started making their descent towards the ground.

Once the balls of fire landed, they started burning into the grass into a specific shape…

Meanwhile, King Boo was busy looking for the fake Larry that he had flown after and lost track of. Then, all the sudden, he noticed the burning imprints upon the ground. "..." All around him within the forest, trees had been burned down in the shape of an "L." He was high up enough to the point where no matter which way he turned around, he saw L's everywhere.

The sight of the letters could only him think of one person: Luigi. Needless to say, calling him ticked off would be an understatement. "..." The ghost king started teeming with rage. The air around him seemed to slow to a stall as he fumed. The rain would begin to fall slower and slower and the trees burned with an intensity to ignite the anger within him.

All was quiet until...

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" King Boo boomed. The earth began to rattle and tremble with an intensity beyond that of a 7.0. However, instead of the ground falling apart and breaking up, pieces of the ground rose up from where they were, creating a massive array of floating rocks in the air. The entire sky had changed from a dreadful stormy night, to a corrupted pink and purple zone of confusion. The parts of the ground that had been ripped apart were now replaced by hot blue lava that encoated the entire ground in a fiery blaze. King Boo was not happy.

"YOUR SCREAMS OF TERROR AND HATRED WILL FUEL MY POWER WITHIN THE SHADOW REALM. I TOLD YOU ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES TO NEVER MENTION HIM. AND WHAT DID YOU DO? ANSWER ME. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Among the platforms of ground that were taken into the air, Larry was standing upon one of them. He looked right up at King Boo with very little to no shred of fear within him, "I think I'm cutting you down, fatty." He shot a wink to Daisy, who was slowly standing upon one of the rocks that had been ripped from the earth and now floating in the air before looking back at King Boo, "So how, we're gonna get out of here whether you like it or not!"

Daisy meanwhile, had fully regained her magic, and was hopping gingerly from rock platform to rock platform in the sky to keep her balance as she had her eyes locked on King Boo's crown, and the gem it was resting on.

Unfortunately, King Boo himself hadn't noticed this, and was too focused on making Larry feel pitiful. Or at least he was trying to. "Oh, you think you're something here, little baby toy loving dipstick?! I oughta give you a spanking for disrespecting your superior!"

"Look, I'm over the teasing deal, alright?" Larry folded his arms, "But _you_ can't seem to get over getting your butt kicked twice. I've gotten my butt kicked numerous times, and you don't see me being whiny over it do you?"

"That is not the point! He fears me and has won! I am King Boo! I _am_ fear!"

"Well guess what?" Larry said with a small smirk, "Guess who's not afraid of you anymore."

"..." That seemed to have ignite something within King Boo. But this time instead of screaming, causing another fit of mass destruction, he simply looked Larry right in the eyes, and spoke to him, "Then I shall just have to be rid of you…"

"Good luck getting rid of me when you can't even get rid of your own stupid one track minded revenge that's wasting your eternal life into a vortex of nothingness in which you'll never be understood, cared for or loved. In other words…" Larry stared right back, "...you're gonna have a bad time."

"You heard the little man." After jumped around on each airborne rock platform, Daisy made the final leap towards King Boo's head as she jumped off of it aiming her fist right at the gem on King Boo's crown, "Get outta mah house, ya pleb."

Before King Boo could react, a loud voice that didn't belong to him, rang upon everyone's eardrums louder than an air horn, "EEEEEEEENOUGH!"

"What the-?!"

When Daisy's attacked connected, everything was shrouded within a bloom of white, harmless light that blinded everyone involved, and created a thick white screen in which nothing could be seen though. The only thing that could be heard was the new voice's yelling as everything was consumed by the white light.

After a while, the light subsided, leaving no one and nothing behind. It was as if none of them had ever been there at all...

The battle was over.


	40. Recounting

Chapter 40: Recounting

Everything around her was calm, soft, quiet. Her ears rang with a soft buzzing noise that people heard when there were no other sounds around. Frankly, it was quite annoying, and made her mutter in her unconsciousness. "Ugh...no...I'll sock you so hard…." A light tapping pecked against her shoulder, "Ugh...huh….."

It was Daisy who had fallen out of reality, and had just now "warped" back in so to speak. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she realized she was lying down in her throne room on the floor, "Huh, what's goin' on?"

Larry spoke quietly, "Oh, good, you're ok…" he smiled, "Everything's back where it was. Including us."

Daisy sat up, rubbing her head, "Wow….what happened?"

"I dunno," Larry shrugged, "It's like someone came in and stopped everything before we could really finish."

"Where's King Boo?"

"He's outside talking to Bow." Larry pointed to the window where both Boos could be seen talking to each other, "Looks like it's pretty rough…"

This made Daisy turn her head and take a look outside too. From what she saw, Bow was yelling at King Boo, to which the massive monarch actually looked….ashamed? Apparently the King was covering his eyes in the way Boos did when they were looked at. Something Bow had said to him really made him feel remorseful for his actions, but the question was: What?

"Hey." Larry bumped Daisy with his elbow, "Wanna go eavesdrop?"

"Dawg, we shouldn't get wrapped up in personal biz. You should know better." Daisy said back.

Larry shrugged, "Seems legit. But hey, I'm a kid, it's what we do. Not to mention I work for Bowser so I'm not exactly an angel either." He then snickered, "I remember the last time I stole money from Wendy's purse. It was hilarious!"

Daisy rolled her eyes, "Oh, you. I did it once to Peach when I was your age."

"Hah! See? Everyone has a little bit of a dark side in 'em." Larry laughed.

"Makes me wonder how I'm talking to you right now and not giving you a lecture about how you shouldn't be evil and stuff." Daisy looked up, "I'm pretty sure you enjoy stealing and vandalizing stuff, right?"

"Well...not so much vandalizing. Cheating at stuff's more my thing." He shrugged, "Mainly because I suck so much at a lotta things so I find no other reason but to cheat in order to impress my siblings and Bowser." He sighed, "Honestly if you think about it-none of us are _evil_ evil like King Boo is. We mostly just do our thing to follow Bowser's orders and take Peach. We don't have much issue with anyone else."

"But you're kids so I guess I understand." Daisy shrugged.

"You'd think you'd hate us for attacking your best friend constantly and fighting Mario and Luigi." Larry blinked.

"Eh, honestly. I'm never there to witness anything so how would I know who's in the right or in the wrong?" She brought her knees to her chest, "Technically speaking, ya'll haven't harmed my kingdom once so I don't have any reason to attack you back. And what does it matter if you've fought Mario before. So what? He fights everyone to get to Peach, and the Smash tournaments which I heard you were apart of."

Larry blushed. No one had mentioned the Smash tournaments in a long time and he was quite frankly flattered by her mentioning it, "Yeah...and so are my other brothers and sister. We all have sorta the same stuff."

"And Peach has been in _three_ of them. The Melee Tournament. Brawl. And 4." Another shrug, "Honestly she can hold her own pretty well in a fight and can take care of herself. She even rescued Mario and Luigi once. So if she ends up letting you guys capture her without putting up a fight, then it's not my business."

Larry blinked. It was a bit much for his mind to understand, but after a moment he nodded, "Dang...that has to be the most complex best friendship I've heard of."

"Right? I mean, I can't say that I'm not jealous of Peach. Because I'll admit it. To a certain degree I am. But then I have to step back and say, 'Hm? Is her life really all that?' and sigh because I hate thinking about things that jeopardize our friendship."

"So what about us?" Larry asked hesitantly, "Even though we sorta...work under Bowser and terrorize her kingdom...what do you think of us?"

"Honestly, like I said. If Peach can handle herself like she can in the Smash Tournaments, then she can handle herself in all aspects of life. That's _her_ fault for going all these years and not putting up any countermeasures or fighting back. With you guys, and Bowser, I'm mostly indifferent towards. For the most part I think he can get Peach's attention if he's actually chill with it, but eh, what do I know? I'm not down there every day watching her getting kidnapped. I'm working my butt off over here in my Kingdom worried about my own problems. Plus, how could I not like you?" She smiled at him, "You're a sweet little guy who risked his skin to save me."

"Um...w-well ya know…" Larry shrugged, acting all tough and confident, "It was no big deal. I'm just here for King Boo."

"Oh?" Daisy giggled, "Then I guess you did a good job."

"Yeah, well ya know I-" he would suddenly stop speaking as Daisy placed a kiss on his cheek. He froze as if he was encased in ice, turning red as a tomato. "..."

Daisy giggled at this which turned into an sorting laugh, "You look so adorable!"

"..." Larry was still blushing with a criss-cross of emotions. Never before had he been kissed by a girl, especially someone like Daisy. Needless to say, he tried to laugh right along with her, "Haha...yeah…"

She patted his head, "Keep up that 'tude and you'll be getting _all_ the koopa ladies."

"Yeah...hey, wait...Luigi won't find out about this, right?" Larry asked worriedly.

"Pff. It's not like I'm asking you to be my boyfriend. It's just a little thank you kiss."

"Oh, good. Whew…" Larry wiped his forehead, "Hopefully if I ever do get a girlfriend, I want her to be like you. Luigi's luckier than I thought."

Daisy smirked, "He is."

Just then, Lady Bow phased back through the window, and sighed. "I apologize for that, Princess."

"Eh?" Larry and Daisy blinked.

"Turns out all of that was his attempt to impress me." Lady Bow sighed again, "He's returned your clothes, and released your servant and his brother. They're currently putting your clothes back where they belong and….I cannot express how sorry I am."

Daisy shrugged, "Ey, no biggie. Glad to actually get a fight for once."

"And I finally got over my childhood fears," Larry said proudly, "so I'm cool, too."

Bow managed a smile. She was surprised to see someone like Daisy not angry at her for something like this. "Thank you. Um...in exchange for the troubles I've caused, allow me to ally the Boos of Forever Forest with Sarasaland. Please."

Larry grinned. "Ooh. Do it. Do it. Do it."

Daisy blinked, surprised at how willing Bow was to just give that to her. On the one hand, she did have to fight a dimensional ghost wizard, but on the other… "Nah. Not until I show you my formal policies and stuff. At least let me show you how my kingdom operates before you just hand that out to me."

Bow nodded, "Of course. Thank you for being understanding." She looked at Larry, "And you...I appreciate how willing you were to fight for me."

Larry shook his head, "No big deal."

"Yes, but...I feel I have to thank you in a way that's more than simply saying it." She floated over to him.

"You don't really have-" a quick kiss was placed on his other cheek this time from Bow. Once again, he blushed beet red. "..."

"I know it's a cliche way of showing appreciation, but…"

Daisy snickered, "I think he's happy. Right, Larry?"

Larry giggled like the little boy he was as he blushed, "Hehehe….yeah…." he rubbed his claw against his cheek.

Bow nodded, "Alright. Now that that is taken care of, I will be heading to a hotel nearby to get out of your hair, and return tomorrow when the tour is ready." She floated towards the door, "And I expect everything to be perfect. King Boo will no longer be harming you. I am sure of it."

"Yeah-hey wait!" Daisy shouted, "What was the whole white flash thingy?"

"Oh, that…" Bow muttered, "When I shouted for you all to stop, I may have ripped open a hole within the dimension King Boo held you in. That's how you all got back here."

"Woah….awesome." Daisy replied.

"Thank you. But for now…" Bow floated through the door, "See you tomorrow."

Daisy waved at her as she left. "Bye!" She took a deep breath, "Whoo. Dang. Sounds like the whole King Boo thing shook her up, a little. The bossy Bow went away like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis, and looked at Larry, "What do you think?"

"I'm the luckiest Koopa alive…" Larry mumbled with a dreamy grin on his face. Daisy cleared her throat, prompting him to answer, "Oh, um, yeah...sounds like she's pretty shaken over it."

"Yeah…hopefully she gets better soon." A sudden thought came to her, "Oh yeah, don't you need to get back to Bowser soon?"

"Eh, I got time. I need some water after all that fighting, though." Larry started wlaking, "Mind if I stay a bit?"

Daisy grinned, "Hey, I'm game. Let's watch a movie too."

"Zootopia?" Larry offered.

"What's Zootopia?"

"..."

"..."

Larry smirked, "Sister. You and me. On the couch. Now."

"I like where this is going." Daisy smirked back as she followed Larry out of the throne room.


	41. Here It Comes

Chapter 41: Here It Comes

Larry had went home soon after he and Daisy watched Zootopia, and hurried home to the Darkland, Bowser's Kingdom. Everything was dark, and hazy with the scent of lava boiling all around the castle. Everything was normal as Larry hopped out his clown car and rush to the from gates, up the gray cobblestone stairs, and knocked on the massive wooden castle door.

A small Koopa about Larry's size, bearing a heavy likeness to the Koopa King, and with a bib around his neck that was riddled with a set of poorly drawn jaws answered the door. "Larry boy. You're late, ya know. Dad's gonna rip ya into shreds."

"Ugh, look I'm only _slightly_ late, thank you. King Boo gave me more trouble than I thought."

Bowser Jr. shrugged and kicked the door open so Larry could follow, "Look, I don't really care what happened. You got your siblings in there worried sick about ya." he turned around and started walking, "Hopefully ya got a good reason. King Boo wasn't happy."

"Pff, that's an understatement." Larry rolled his eyes as he walked into the castle. As he continued moving through the drab hallways of gray brick and red carpet, he found his siblings who were all waiting for him in the living room. "Hey guys."

All of his siblings were there, sans Ludwig and Wendy. Iggy and Lemmy ran up to him and hugged him, "Larry!"

"We're so glad you're ok!" Lemmy shouted.

"Yeah and we heard you kicked King Boo's tail!" Iggy added.

"Looks like our little bro and so little no more." Roy said, giving Larry a thumbs up from where he sat on the couch.

"What they said!" Morton shouted.

"Aw, thanks, guys." All the praising made Larry blush a little before he realized something. "Hey, where's Ludwig and Wendy?" 

"Eh, Ludes is doing some work in his room, as usual…" Roy grumbled, annoyed by his eldest brother's lack of caring to come see his youngest.

"And Wendy's dealing with a breakup." Lemmy said, sitting atop his ball, "Do not. I repeat. DO NOT knock on that door. I still need a hearing aid after the last time she shouted at me."

"Breakup? With who?" Larry asked.

Iggy sat on the couch upside-down, "Some guy she's been hanging with for a while now who found someone else. Like Lemmy said, best not to go there. She's as crazy as a chain chomp when it hasn't been fed in weeks. Which reminds me, I need to feed mine." Iggy got up from his seat and walked upstairs.

"O….k…" Larry said slowly.

"And the boss wants to talk to ya. Said something about being impressed." Roy said.

Larry nodded, "I think I'll go see Ludwig first. Wonder why he wasn't here to greet me." Larry then made his way upstairs as well to find his oldest brother. As he walked passed the room doors he would hear crying in one of the rooms. It was Wendy. "Ugghhh…" This made him shudder as he walked past, unable to process what could by lying behind that door.

Instead, he made his way down to a door with a sign that said, "Keep Out. Genius Working." Larry simply snickered at this and knocked on the door. "Ludes!"

A metal clank followed by someone banging their head was heard from the other side. "Agh!" Mutters of frustration were also heard as someone shuffled along the carpet. The blue-haired Koopaling would then answer, opening the door with only enough space for his face to be seen through. "What do you w-" he noticed who it was, "Oh, it's you. Finally back from your mission, I see?"

Larry nodded, "Yup. I think I did pretty good."

Ludwig rolled his eyes, "Yes we all did. Glad to see you back. Now don't bother me."

"Huh?"

"I'm very busy, so would you please be so kind as to go see what King Bowser wants before I take you there myself?"

Larry groaned, "Ugh, fine. If it'll make you to happy," and started to make his way downstairs. Once there, he made a hard left and walked into the throne room where Bowser sat waiting for him. "Yes sir?"

Iggy, Lemmy, Morton, and Roy were all eavesdropping from the hall like they usually did. Snooping as usual.

Bowser looked at him, somewhat surprised at the youngest Koopaling's demeanor, "You seem a bit more confident."

"I guess I am, sir," Larry replied simply. 

"I heard about the fight you had." The koopa king stared him down, "Is it true you really fought King Boo? One of my closest allies?"

"Uh-oh…" the four brothers muttered from the hallway.

"Yes, sir." Larry answered, unsure of what was to come next.

"Hm…" Bowser sat back in his throne with a small grin on his face, "Good job."

"What?!" The four brothers shouted quietly.

"Really?" Larry asked.

"You've proven you can beat one of my stronger allies in battle. Excellent job." Bowser chuckled, "I'll be sure to give you more missions from now on."

Larry grinned, and puffed his chest out, "Thanks, sir."

"Das mah boy." Roy said.

"Now, I have something else for you to do. Something...harder." Bowser explained.

"I got it." Larry smirked, "Nothing can stop Lawrence Koopa."

"If you're sure. Wendy's been acting up lately, and I wanted to see if you could figure out what was wrong with her. You see, I tried helping her myself, but…" Bowser showed him a large bandage around his waist, "She doesn't take kindly to outside help."

"Oh." Larry nodded, "Yeah, it has something to do with some guy breaking up with her. But why me?"

Bowser paused for a moment, shaking his head. He clearly suppressed a thought he had in his mind. "Because, as the youngest brother, she's less likely to try and hurt you like she did to me. You think you'll be able to help?"

Larry nodded, "I mean, sure. I'll help. Anything for my big sister."

"Please." Bowser said, picking up an ice pack and placing it on his head, "Your brothers and I can't take this hostile crap anymore."

"Got it." The small Koopaling would then walk out of the room, and be met by four of his brothers.

"...Dear lord, you're gonna die. It's game over, man! Game over!" Iggy screamed.

"I don't usually agree with Iggs, here, because most of the time he's crazy," Roy said, "But he's right. Wendy ticked off is like mixin' the Predator, Alien, and 97 angry bullet bills all in one bottle."

"I gotta agree with 'em." Morton said, "You wouldn't last very long in there considering how much she's hurt us in her path of wrath." He shuddered, "I still remember her destroying my rock collection."

Lemmy nodded, standing on his ball, "They have a point, yo! You need a plan. Some kind of tools you can use to get where she can calm down before you talk to her. Advice from someone, maybe!"

Larry smirked, "I think I know a person or two that can help. Don't worry about me, guys. I got this." He went back to the hall and ran upstairs to the door where the sound of muffled feminine crying was heard just beyond it. "Alright, here it goes…"

He reached his claw out to knock...


	42. The Beast

Chapter 42: The Beast

A light tapping conked upon Wendy's door, to which she looked up at it, and screamed. "GO AWAY!"

"Euuugh…" Larry flinched, and even took a step back. If there was one thing that he was still afraid of, it was his sister. "Um..Wendy? C-can I come in?"

"NO. STOP TRYING TO HELP ME."

"No...I'm not here to try and help...I'm here just to talk." Larry knocked again, "Come on, please?"

There was a long pause before clattering was heard at the door. Similar to Ludwig did earlier, Wendy opened up her bedroom door only enough for Larry to see her face and nothing within the room. Her face was stained black along her eyes from dripping mascara mixed with crying. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her teeth were gritting angrily. This was not the Wendy they normally knew and Larry could see it.

"What the heck do you want?"

"Um...I just wanted to stop by and say hi, and stuff ya know?" Larry chuckled nervously, "So uh..how've ya been?"

"How have I been? How do you think I've been?" Wendy said back, "Go on, guess."

"Um...terrible?"

"Heck, no are you stupid?! No, I'm dealing with what could possibly be one of the biggest moments of heartbreak in my entire life and all you have to say that it must be 'terrible'? Are you kidding me?!" She growled at him.

"Woah, woah...sorry. Ok, let's start over-"

Wendy rolled her eyes, "Oh that's what all you men say. 'Let's start over and pretend the screw up never happened!' Play that stupid game with someone else, Larry-not me."

"No! Just...I wanna help you. Bowser asked me to and...well….you know how he gets when you get like this…"

Wendy sighed, actually calming down somewhat. She knew that Bowser didn't exactly tolerate being this way for too long, so she reluctantly accepted, "Fine. Come in. Don't touch anything either. You're lucky you're the younger brother here."

Larry walked into Wendy's room. Everything was pink. Pink here, pink there. The carpet, bed, bedsheets, and pillows were all pink as well. Posters of many teenage boy bands were plastered around the room, and above her bed. Larry blinked at all of this, realizing he never once went into Wendy's room before as he sat on her bed. "Woah…"

"Don't get your boy germs on my stuff." Wendy muttered before sitting up there with him, "Now, I'm only gonna explain this once so listen carefully, got it?"

"Yeah."

"I met this really amazing guy down at the mall a few days ago," Wendy started to explain, "He was really cute, funny, and kinda rich."

"What was he?" Larry asked, "Koopa? Monty Mole? Fire Snake?"

"No." Wendy picked up a photograph with a Buzzy Beetle on it that had a heart tattoo on its shell, "Buzzter. This was the guy…." she started sniffling, "But then…."

"...Yeah?"

"He...I saw him with another girl! He dumped me for...a Swooper!" She started bawling again.

It was loud, making Larry cover his non-existent ears as he spoke, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down….!" After a moment Wendy would quiet down, and Larry took a good look at the picture, and noticed the Buzzy Beetle was somewhat chubby. "Hey, it's fine, Wendy. He's too fat for you anyway."

"..." Wendy stopped crying and shot him a cold stare, "What did you just say?"

"I said he's too fat and doesn't work for you," Larry repeated, "There's much better guys out there tha-"

 _Click_. The sound of Wendy's bedroom door locked closed as she stared at him with a fiery gaze, "I STILL LOVE HIM, YOU IDIOT. HOW DARE YOU CALL HIM FAT?!"

"I-I'm sorry, lemme rephras-"

"NO. YOU SAID IT NOW YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT YOU SAID."

Larry gulped.

Meanwhile, Ludwig had exited the bathroom in the hallway, and looked to his right. Sounds of crashing and blows landing could be heard from Wendy's room. This made him chuckle to himself as he stood leaning against the wall, listening to everything with his arms folded.

"OW! Wendy please!" Larry unlocked the door and ran out, but the split second he ran outside the room, he was immediately pulled back in, "No more, please stop!"

"COME HERE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU." The female Koopa dragged him right back inside, and slammed the door closed, only for more crashing noises to be heard for a good five minutes before she, quite literally, kicked him out into the hall. "DO IT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!" She then slammed her door closed.

Larry slid across the hallway floor, and stopped next to Ludwig. He had a black eye, cuts, bruises, and his shell had been cracked. "...Ow…"

Ludwig looked down at him with a smirk, "Having fun there, player? Enjoy the feeling of having a good butt whooping once again?"

Larry looked up at him, "...Ah, shaddap, and get me…..some ice…"


	43. Seeking Advice

Chapter 43: Seeking Advice

Larry was now bandaged up from the injuries he had been dealt by Wendy, and sitting in the living room on the couch. He was busy munching on a fire flower that would replenish his flame and his health, "Ow…why she gotta be so mean…"

Roy was sitting next to him on the couch, "Eh, don't worry about her, man."

"You have a girlfriend, right bud?" Larry asked, "How do you deal with it? How do you deal with women like this who need support?"

Roy sighed. He didn't really enjoy talking about his relationship that much because it made his brother's jealous they didn't have one. "Outsourcing. That's pretty much all I can say, man." The pink shelled Koopaling got up and ruffled his little brother's mohawk, "I uh, gotta go buy some stuff. See you later, aight?"

Larry nodded, "See ya." As his brother left, he slumped back in his seat. He knew full well the reason Roy left, and that his brother wasn't all that interested in talking about how to help people in their relationships. Made sense. "Hm...I got it." He pulled out his cell phone.

In Daisy's castle, the flower princess was taking a nice relaxing bath in her tub, when she suddenly heard her phone ring, "Hm?" She picked it up from the stool nearby, and answered it. Luckily, it was waterproof, "Yo."

"Uh, Daisy? Yeah, I need some help."

"Hey, Larry, what's up?"

"My sister's going through a breakup issue," he explained, "You got any ideas on how I can help her out of it?"

"Hm.." Daisy mulled over it for a bit as she blew some suds away from her, "Um, well, I haven't gone through any breakups personally. But I have witnessed a lotta stuff go bad in highschool."

"Ooh, perfect! What happened?"

"Well, there was this one chick which her dude broke up with her. She stopped coming to school at one point and her friends tried to help her out."

"Aaaand?" Larry asked with intrigue.

Daisy went on, "She sorta cut herself off from the rest of the world for a while. That is, until she met this new guy who understood her and was really funny. He was practically the best thing that ever happened to her, and they spent the rest of their lives together. All because some of her friends set her up on a blind encounter."

"Encounter? I can do that! Just gotta find someone."

"Aight. Anything else ya need?"

"Nah, thanks Daisy."

"Aight. Hope your sister feels better soon. Bye!"

Larry chuckled, "Bye." He hung up his phone, and bite on the fire flower once more. "An idea is forming…"

Kammy Koopa would then fly by on her broomstick, and noticed Larry in bandages, "Lawrence? Whatever happened to you?"

"Wendy and her relationship stuff," Larry said with a sigh, "Bowser asked me to help, but it just got me thrown out on my shell-literally. It got cracked."

"Good heavens," the elderly witch looked him over, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am." He nodded, and then blinked. Kammy usually wasn't this nice. "Aren't you doing stuff for Bowser?"

"Kamek is taking care of that right now," Kammy explained, "I'm simply patrolling the castle for anything. But I see you're injured and could use my help."

"Huh?"

The mage used her scepter to summon a book. It was a _very_ old photo album with pages being torn, tattered, and dusty. "Take a look at this, dear boy."

Larry took the book as Kammy sat next to him. He opened it to the middle, where a teenage Magikoopa with smoothly vibrant skin, a purple robe and hat, glasses with clear lenses, and a vibrant smile with her tongue sticking out that could make any koopa turn their heads could be seen posing for a picture in front of a Magic School, "Woah! Is this you?"

Kammy giggled, "Yes. I was a bit more...slender back then. But I was very popular. I had a lot of boys at my feet when I was Ludwig's age."

Larry blinked, "Did any of them break up with you?"

"Oh, yes,"she admitted, "My very first one didn't exactly work out…"

"Tell me more, ma'am," Larry grinned, giving her his undivided attention.

The old koopa nodded, "If you insist." She cleared her throat, "It was a bright and sunny day. My first day at Magic School in Neo Bowser City. I was a really avid learner of magic, and had busted my rump to get into the school. Of course, this was around when King Koopa was not born yet. In fact, this is when his father was the ruler. It had been my dream to serve him in his quest of villainy." She blushed, looking at Larry, "I'm not boring you am I?"

Larry shook his head rapidly, "No no no! Go on!"

"Ok. In class I met an adorable Mouser who shared my interest in magic. We both enjoyed studying it and whatnot, and became very good friends." She flipped a page in the book to her young self and the white Mouser, "There we are."

"Woah...awesome," Larry said.

"So after a while of getting to know each other for a few months, well...we…" the old Magikoopa blushed as she simply pointed to a picture of the two kissing. "You know that lovey stuff."

"Uh-huh. So..how did the breakup happen?"

Kammy went on, "Well, after we got to know each other, we became lovebirds. But after a while, things started to fall apart." She sighed, breathing out the words were somewhat difficult, "You see, he was also an actor part time, and started to slowly become attached to a Goomba who worked with him. Now obviously, being naive and blinded by love, I didn't say a word nor call him because I simply thought he was busy. But one day, things took a terrible turn."

Larry fell silent, eyes wide with wonder.

"The Goomba he liked, he...proposed to her on camera, off script, and on Kingdom-wide television." She sighed again, "Needless to say, I felt heartbroken, and from there my hair started turning white due to sheer amount of stress I had put myself through."

"Woah…"

Kammy summoned a very old newspaper with the headline, 'Alex M. Junior Proposes On Camera!' "This is the exact same newspaper from all those long years ago. By now, I've gotten over it," she made it disappear, "The point is, if Wendy doesn't grow out of it, then there's always other candies in the jar. After that, I became popular as I said before. Everyone liked me and I had a lot of support. And now, I'm living my dream serving King Bowser. Everything's perfect with my life now."

Larry nodded slowly, amazed at what wisdom came from the old Koopa. "Wow...that's awesome. Thanks, ma'am. I think I known what to do to help Wendy out."

Kammy nodded, "No problem. Lord knows that girl needs help before we all need an aspirin. Which reminds me, I need to start preparing Ludwig's dinner."

Larry snickered, "Alright. See ya later, ma'am, and thanks again."

Kammy then grabbed her broomstick, "You're welcome," and floated off into the kitchen.

"Hm…" the Koopaling thought over the advice he had been given. _"I think this could work…"_


	44. Try Again

Chapter 44: Try Again

With his newfound ideas, Larry started making his way towards Wendy's room once more before Ludwig called his name, leaning against the wall as he walked past. "Going back for more, eh?"

Larry rolled his eyes, "You don't even know what I can do, Ludes. At least I'm actually helping her."

" _You_ are. I for one value my life, and my gorgeous mane," he brushed his claw across his fluffy hair, "I'm only trying to offer you some help."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Don't try and help in situations where you can't," Ludwig called out to him, "You'll only make things worse for yourself and put pressure upon the person you're trying to help."

Larry stopped and took a moment to think about this. Was he really wasting his time with this, or could he actually do some good here? One thing that was true about this Koopaling was, that he wouldn't wait around for the answer to pop out at him like some fairytale. "I know what the limit is. I know how to watch myself, Ludes."

Ludwig scoffed and shook his head, "Naive little fool. Good luck with that." He walked into his room, "You'll need it."

Larry ran into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Alright alright...Daisy said set something up. And Kammy said there's other people out there. I know!" The koopa boy jumped up to his computer in the corner of his bedroom that sat on a desk next to his bed with race car bedsheets. "Let's see…"

His fingers tapped along the keyboard, "Alright, searching with ….da...ting...sit...es…." he pressed the 'enter' key, and found some search results. " . Oh jeez thank heck that isn't with an 'a.'"

After a while, he would begin to type some more, "Create profile...Wendy...O...Koopa. Age? Thirteen… Height? Um...three feet? Weight? N-to the-A. Bust, Waist, and Hips?" Larry blinked turning his head up, "What does that mean? Hm...I know what waist and hips are...but how do you even describe them? And Bust? What is that? Like, how often you get busted or in trouble?"

The koopaling simply couldn't decipher it, and simply put down "not telling." "Alright...now to set this profile into motion and...a picture." He uploaded an image of her to finish off her dating site profile, and clicked "submit." "Nothin' to do now but…"

 _Ping!_

The sound of a notification popped up with someone showing interest in her. "Yes!" Larry grinned and reached for the mouse to click, but then…

 _P-p-p-ping!_

A lot more guys started sending "Wendy," messages for a potential meetup. This made Larry somewhat nervous, "Uh…um…." But before he could do anything about it…

 _P-p-p-p-p-p-p-ping!_

Over 30 guys took interest in Wendy's profile. Larry had described her to a T, and now his sister's profile was blowing up out of control. "Ah! Crap crap crap!" He hurried to the mouse and clicked, the "Block" button for any new messages from anyone until he could narrow them down. "Whew…"

Just then, a quiet knocking tapped upon his bedroom door.

"Uh, uh...just a sec!"

Ludwig stepped into the room, eating a pear, "How's it going? Get yourself in trouble?"

Larry stood on the desk to hide his screen, "Hey, get outta my room!"

"Um, with my seniority, I preemptively requisition the ability to access entry into your domain whenever I chose to do so."

Larry blinked a few times, slowly processing what his big brother had just said. "Uh...whatever that means I don't agree with you."

A sigh came from Ludwig, "Child. What are you doing?"

"Alright fine," Larry stepped down from his desk and sat in his chair, "Setting Wendy up on a dating site so she can find a new guy."

"Hm." Ludwig bit into the pear, and swallowed, "Finally a somewhat competent idea from you. But you do realize with how many pings you have, that you'll need to do some narrowing down?"

"Yeah I know. Care to actually start _helping_ , Ludes?"

Another sigh came from him, this time more defeated. "Alright, fine. But _only_ because I can't stand Wendy's insane crying over and over and over."

"Dude, yesterday she was crying for over 4. Hours. Four hours! None of us could sleep that night!"

"I know. Which is why I'm helping you," Ludwig smirked, "my beautiful mane does not need any split ends from her incessant whining."

Larry rolled his eyes, knowing full well that wasn't the only reason Ludwig was helping him, btu decided not to speak on it. "Sure, Ludes. Suuuuuure."


	45. Break 'Em Down

Chapter 45: Break 'Em Down

"Ok, ok, ok." Larry showed Ludwig every single option that was available on the 30+ list of people who had taken interest in Wendy's profile, "Take a look."

"Hm…" Ludwig read it over. "Nothing that could hurt her. Rule out the Spinies, Lakitus, Puffs, Bob-Ombs, and Wigglers."

Larry clicked a few buttons on the screen, removing said species from the list, leaving only ten. "What next?"

"Ok...narrow down the ones that live within 10 miles of here. We don't want to spend forever searching for someone."

After some more clicks of the mouse, Larry had weaseled out three potential ones. "Yes. Three candi _dates_. To choose from."

"Ahhhhh, no." Ludwig responded flatly, "Send a message to _one_ of them, and tell them to meet us on the castle grounds later."

Some more clicking and typing, and then a confirmation noise would be heard. "Ok, I sent it out to one of them-a Koopa." Once done, he closed the site, and jumped off of the computer chair, "So now we can rest easy."

Ludwig nodded, "Good."

Bowser Jr. would then pass by the door, "Ey, get your blue butts downstairs, it's time for dinner, and then sleep."

Larry grinned widely, and started running downstairs, "Finally. I'm starving!"

Ludwig rubbed his claws on his temples as he followed his younger brother, closing the door behind him, "Why must I be tortured so?"

Unbeknownst to the rest of them, a Boo had floated into the room, and eyed up the computer that larry had used. _"Time to put the boss's plan into action…"_ The ghost floated over to the computer, and phased into it. _"Gonna mess him up so hard. Gonna send the worst pictures, screw up his malware."_ The boo suddenly noticed something that caught his eye: The dating site.

" _Heheh….you're gonna get it good, boy."_ The computer would start to rattle and shake erratically in the darkness of the room...

After finishing dinner, everyone had since started heading back to their bedrooms to get some sleep for the night. On the way there, Ludwig whispered to his youngest brother, "Lawrence, you _did_ send that message to only one of them, right?"

"Dude, could you calm down?" the tired koopaling responded, "I wanna get some sleep, and you should too."

"Hm, as much as I hate to admit the fact that you're right-I won't." He snickered to himself, and walked into his room, "Goodnight, Lawrence."

Larry narrowed his eyes at his oldest brother, and shook his head. "Night." From there, he went into his room, and plopped down on his bed. He was out like a light upon contact with his sheets.

The Boo that had messed with his computer exited the device. "Hehehe…." It looked over at Larry who was fast asleep, _"Sweet dreams."_

As if he could feel some sort of disturbance, Larry turned over, groaning in his sleep. However, none of his mutterings would be sated until the sun would rise

The next morning...

It finally did, casting a ray of sunshine into Larry's bedroom through the window. The blue Koopaling rubbed his eyes as he slowly woke up, "Ahh….that's a relief," he muttered, "for a sec I thought I had a nightmare about Wendy beating me up." He scooched off of his bed, and onto the floor. His face would then snap to attention at the door from which a loud banging noise of repeated knocking was heard. "Huh?"

When Larry answered the door, Ludwig was standing there with his arms folded. "You. Me. Balcony. Now."

"Wh-huh?" Before he could say anything, Larry's claw was grabbed by his older brother who walked with him upstairs to one of the balconies that led to the overview of the castle's East side. "Huh? What's up?"

Ludwig glared at his brother while pointing down below where a massive crowd of males of all species were lined up outside the front gates. Wigglers, Puffs, Bob-Ombs, Goombas, Koopas, Monty Moles, even Lava Bubbles were there. "That's what's up. I thought I told you to make sure you sent it to only _one_ of them. Now look! Every single one of them is expecting Wendy to be their girlfriend! What did you do, Lawrence?!"

This woke Larry out of his sleepy gaze as he looked out over the balcony and down into the courtyard. "Wh-what?! I don't remember send for all these guys!"

"Well apparently you did. No one else was at the computer, Lawrence. Stop lying to yourself and admit to your faults!" Ludwig snapped.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me, man!" Larry snapped back, "It must've been someone else!"

"If you lie one more time I swear to-"

"Look! Why don't we just tell them to go home?" Larry suggested.

"Ohhh. Oh suuuure," Ludwig replied with sarcasm, "I'm sure angry Wigglers would _love_ to make you their new shoe soles."

"Ok, ok…" Larry sighed, and turned to walk down the stairs that led away from the balcony and back down, "So what should we do?"

The older Koopaling followed after his brother, and closed the door that allowed access to the balconies to prevent anyone else from finding out. "I don't know. But we must keep this from both Bowser and Wendy. If Bowser finds out, he'll make us tell Wendy, and if Wendy finds out we tried to interfere in her personal life…"

This made Larry shudder, "Hey, no problem. Ok, so this is what we're gonna-"

"Pff. _We_? Last I checked, this was your own fault."

"Aw, come on, man!" Larry pleaded, "How about you handle everyone else while I handle the guys outside, huh?"

Ludwig sighed, but couldn't turn it down. "Alright. Just remember, don't let Wendy know."

Just then, the bald, bow wearing female Koopaling walked around a corner, staring into them harshly causing her brothers to look up at her in complete shock, "Don't let me know about what?"

"..."

"..."


	46. Handle It

Chapter 46: Handle It

"Well?" Wendy asked, tapping her foot, "I'm waiting for an answer."

"Um...uh…." Larry's heart skipped a beat as he tried to think of an excuse while maintaining eye contact with his dangerously fierce older sister, "Um…."

"About the extremely hot day today," Ludwig interrupted, "We know you like hot days so we wanted you to figure it out for yourself."

Wendy, being dubious of her brother's reasoning, narrowed her eyes, "Uh-huh…." it was easy to tell that she wasn't buying any of what they had to sell as far as what they were trying to tell her. Fortunately for them, she was doing something else, "Well if you two can get out of my way, I'm gonna go take an hour-long stress bath to relieve my heartbreak." Without another word, Wendy walked on to the bathroom, leaving her brothers a tad worried.

"Um, do ya think she knows?" Larry asked his older sibling.

Ludwig shushed him, and beckoned for Larry to follow him down the hall and away from earshot of the bathroom door. Once there, they both huddled up, "Alright, so now we have another issue on our hands. If she continues taking these baths, the water bill will skyrocket."

"Yeah," Larry responded, "But I have a plan. I'm gonna go outside and interview all these dudes and see which one matches our sister. You meanwhile, keep her or Bowser from noticing until there's only one guy left, got it?"

Despite the fact that he disliked being given orders by someone below him-his youngest brother no less-Ludwig couldn't help but agree that it was a stellar plan. However, he wasn't going to let his brother know that, "Fine."

"Alright. One, two, thr-"

Ludwig had exited the huddle and started walking away, "Quit playing your childish shenanigans, and get outside. Now!"

"Jeez, alright, I got it." Larry turned away and started running to the door before stopping in his tracks. Kammy Koopa was peering through one of the windows out onto the front lawn. "Uh-oh…"

"Lawrence!" The old Magikoopa called his name, "Do you know anything about this? Why are there so many young men asking for Wendy?"

"Uh...well…" Larry kicked the ground shyly, "Something happened and now they're here because of a dating site account. Crazy, huh?"

Kammy gave him a disapproving look as she lowered her glasses to make her eyes visible. When she did that, everyone knew that she wasn't in the mood for stories.

Larry couldn't help but notice the look she was giving him and sighed, "Ok, ok…" After a brief explanation on what had happened thus far with the whole issue with Larry's computer, Kammy simply shook her head in response.

"Kids these days with all that newfangled technology. None of it ever works right, and now look what it's gotten you into. You are aware that Wendy does not appreciate anyone interfering with her social life, are you not?"

"Yes, but-"

"So why do it?" Kammy asked, "Why risk something so high and bother her with something like this. If you want her to be happy it's one thing, but to barge in on someone else's life is another."

"It was just one guy that was gonna be here," Larry explained, "but something must've caused it to go back and tell every guy to come down."

"Lord Bowser doesn't appreciate uninvited guests either. You will have to march out there and tell every single one of them to depart."

"B-but, what if they don't want to?" Larry asked, clearly worried about what might happen.

"I don't know," Kammy admitted, "But I know what I will do." She hopped onto her broomstick, "I'll keep Lord Bowser away from the front yard as long as I can. You'll have to handle those boys outside."

Larry nodded, "Got it. Thanks, Kammy," he then walked to the front gates and stepped onto the porch where the long line of boys were waiting. At the same time, a green-ish blur was zipping around the line. "Oh no…"

It was Iggy. The lanky Koopaling was holding a checklist and walking around to line.

"Hm...too fat," he said about a Monty Mole before zipping over to a Spike Top, "Hm, too resistant."

Larry grumbled as he watched what was happening. "Iggy what are you-grrr…" he decided to run down and see for himself what was going on.

The spastic Koopaling simply wouldn't stop, and kept making judgement calls about the boys lined up.

"Too short," he said about a Shy Guy.

"Too parasitic," he said about a Fuzzy.

"Bro." Larry said next to him.

"Too inky," he said about a Blooper.

"Too normal," he said about a Goomba.

"Bro."

"Too unstable," he said about a Wiggler.

"And then there's this freakhole," he said about a Piranha Plant, "Who even in the flipside of the super leaf fortress even...why are there honeybees here?!"

"Bro!" Larry shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"Oh," the tall koopaling looked down, "Just checkin' out who Wendy's next dude is gonna be."

Larry shook his head, "You can't just insult people like that. We need to interview them first. Get a feel for what these guys are actually like."

"Ohhhh…" Iggy droned with realization before cackling to himself. "Ahaha! I got it!"

"Hey wai-!" Before Larry could try and stop his crazy brother, he had already run off. "What the…"

In what seemed like mere moments later, Iggy was standing at the castle porch wearing a vertical red and white striped barber shop quartet outfit, and holding a wooden cane, "Step right up, gents! Don't be shy! Tell me about yourself! What makes you laugh, what makes you cry! If you wanna meet Wendy, then ya gotta get through her brother-me!"

Everyone in line started murmuring words of questioning if this girl's family was that weird or crazy, and if they should stay.

Larry simply stared up at the porch where his brother stood, jaw agape with shock and embarrassment. At this rate, he knew that Iggy would start driving the guests away should he continue his means of "helping." Unfortunately, before he could take a step forward…

"AHAHHAHAHAHAH!" Everyone in line started laughing at Iggy. Yet somehow, this didn't deter him as he continued his actions.

"Ah, the smell of fresh laughter in the air. Sounds like everyone here is a good audience." Iggy looked down at them all, "Now, who's first?"

A pause, and the sound of laughter would continue. This made Larry cringe as he covered his eyes with his claws. _"Iggy no...you're making things worse, and embarrassing Wendy. But how do I tell him…?"_


	47. Dangerously Savvy

Chapter 47: Dangerously Savvy

Meanwhile, as the boys were outside, Wendy was still bathing peacefully in the bathtub. That is, until a knocking was heard at the bathroom door. "Ms. Wendy," an old voice came from the other side, "Lord Bowser wishes you to finish up and come downstairs for breakfast with your siblings."

"Um, excuse me?" She snapped back, "Did you just _dare_ have the stones to interrupt my private time in here?"

"Bowser's orders, not mine," the voice said before leaving.

A groan of annoyance came from Wendy as she finished up in the bathroom. A little while later, she had started making her way downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast where only three of her brothers were sitting: Morton, Lemmy, and Roy. "Hm…." she was confused and suspicious to say the least. "Morning…"

Roy was reading a Gameinformer magazine, "Yo."

Morton was water a flower on the table, "Hi."

Lemmy was busy drawing something in a notebook, "Sup?"

Wendy took her seat, "And where's our other brothers?"

"Haven't seen 'em," said Roy.

"Me neither," Morton agreed.

Lemmy didn't answer. He was focused in his drawing.

Wendy noticed this, and stared at him. "Lemmy? Ahem." There was still no response, prompting her to investigate. She walked around to his side of the table, and tapped his shoulder.

"Eh?"

"So you think you can ignore me?" Wendy asked with a devious grin on her face.

"Oh, sorry," Lemmy replied, and reached for his paper, "I was just sketching up a new piece of artwork that-"

His sister's claw would slam on the table, as she leaned toward him, "I don't give a crap about your drawing. Where is everyone?"

Lemmy, legitimately confused by the question, blinked a few times, "Uh...Iunno. I think I saw Ludwig walk the other way a bit ago."

"You know what happens when you lie to me, right?"

"Yeah...b-but..I'm not…."

Wendy's grin grew as she leaned in closer. "Are you?"

"Ey, back off," Roy said from behind his magazine, "He said no, so leave him alone."

"Hm…" Wendy backed away from him and sat back on her side of the table.

Meanwhile…

Larry had walked up to the front porch where Iggy had been standing, and whispered to him, "Iggy. This is embarrassing. You need to cut this out and we should interview each of them calmly. Watch this," he cleared his throat, "Ahem. Guys, please wait in line outside the gate, and we'll call you when you're next."

That seemed to get everyone's attention as the boys backed away, leaving just one behind-a white Bob-Omb. Larry used his scepter to make an outdoor desk with three chairs-two on his side and one on the other. "Now," Larry sat down in a chair, and motioned his claw to the chair opposite of him, "Sit, my good man."

The Bob-Omb sat down in the chair, "Sup? Call me Bob."

"Alright, Bob, whaddya do?" Larry pulled out a clipboard.

"I like to fight and don't let anyone push me around," the Bob-Omb explained, "I'm the fastest Bob-Omb in the Kingdom, too."

Iggy had sat down next to his little brother, "Ooh! You gotta go fast? Like, _really reeeeeally_ fast?!"

"Iggy please," Larry looked at the guest, "So what makes you think you're perfect for Wendy?"

"Because with my attitude, I ain't gonna let nobody hurt her," the bomb would be smirking if it had a visible mouth.

Iggy blinked, "Ya do realize that Wendy's the same way right? She don't like counteraction. Wouldn't ya'll both fold into a cataclysmic effect of resilience and brutality that would trickle down into a bottleneck effect of confusion that would inevitably end you both retracting and diluting yourselves into a pit of despair." He interlocked his fingers with each other to exaggerate the fact.

The Bob-Omb's eyes closed as if it was frustrated. "Ugh...all these big words, can you ever just be quiet, bro?"

Iggy frowned, "Well, ya don't have to be so rude about it…"

"Pfft, I say what want when I want, punk."

Larry spoke up, "Um, woah. Can ya dial it back bro? I don't think Wendy likes guys with attitude."

"Oh, now ya'lls _both_ got a problem with me?" The Bob-Omb's eyes turned angry with its fuse sparking.

Larry started sweating. "Uh...no need to get angry...we just...don't think you'd work."

"Yeah, you pretty much don't fit the bill at all," Iggy said bluntly. "Next!"

"What?! Grrrr! Fine! See if I care!" The Bob-Omb exploded in their faces, and was promptly thrown out of the castle walls from his own explosion's force.

Larry and Iggy were both covered in black soot from the explosion, and their hair was blown into frizzles, slanted flatly.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and stop."

From inside, the explosion was heard, making Wendy tilt her head. "Hm…what was that..."

Lemmy was halfway completed with a high quality sketch of Kammy in her younger years. "Dunno."

"Probably just a stray Bob-Omb used as a baseball," Roy said as he started washing the dishes.

"Hm, I'm gonna have a look." Wendy got up from her seat and headed towards the front door, where Ludwig stopped her.

"Wait! Um...what are you doing?"

Wendy glared at him, "Seeing what that noise was. Get out of my way."

"You can't because…"

"Because what?" Wendy folded her arms, "Go on, I'll wait for an answer Mr. Funny. Oh wait, no I'm not. Because you ain't my boss."

"Wendy, you really shouldn't do that," Ludwig pleaded, "something bad might happen."

"Aw, is someone still whiny and scared about the fact that you got beat down by that shriveling flower hag a few days ago, and that you might get in trouble?" She smirked and moved to open the door, "Too bad."

"Wendy, no!"

She paused and turned around, looking at Ludwig with a cold stare that could make children cry, "Listen to me you overrated obnoxious piece of egotistical garbage. I don't take orders from you, or anyone. You may be my brother, but you annoy the heck out of me." She paused to chuckle, "But oooh, it was so _good_ to see that worthless stinkweed who calls herself a princess to just roast you. You know what it means when you're called garbage by someone who's garbage?"

Ludwig was frozen as he looked back at her. "..."

"Heh. Now, stay out of my way before I go into your _dark_ secrets that you know I know. That clear?"

"..." Still no response from him.

"That's a good little idiot," and without further hesitation, she moved to open the door...


	48. Ode of Illusions

Chapter 48: Ode of Illusions

Ludwig was immediately regretting what he had made up in his mind to do. However, he felt his option would be better than Larry getting in trouble too. "Wendy wait! I know, I'm terrible, and just...well plain foolish."

This made Wendy stop. "Oh?"

"Yes," Ludwig continued, "I'm not as serious as I really am. I just show off to make a good impression on everyone...set an example. But...I know that I'm a fraud…" He looked down. Internally, he didn't mean a word of what he was saying, however, it was the perfect thing to buy Larry time.

"Go on," Wendy urged him on.

Meanwhile….

"So, Chang. You think you'd make a good match for wendy," Larry looked at the Craw, "Why?"

"Yo, bruh, I keep my stuff tight, and don't let nobody mess with me," the anthropomorphic bird boy replied, "Everything's cool with me. I even got the best stuff in the hood. She's gon love me. I got all the best stuff in the world, son. In fact, I can hook ya'll up with some nice hotties in return."

Larry exchanged a look of fear with his brother. This wasn't exactly...sounding safe. "Next!"

A few minutes later…

"Alrighty, Charlie." Iggy looked at the Chargin' Chuck, "So you've been playing ball for how many years?"

"Uh no..." The football playing Koopa with a burly body who practically towered over the two sat across from them. "I actually never been on the field…"

"Oh, so you're a water guy?" Iggy asked.

"No, I pretty much failed tryouts," he put a hand on his jersey that had two zeroes on it, "That's why I'm 00."

"Um…"

"What?"

"I don't think Wendy would want a….what's the word…"

"Oh, so just because I'm not a real ballplayer means I'm a loser does it? Does it?!" His voice started to break.

Iggy shook his head, flailing his arms around, "N-no! That's not what I mean!"

The Chargin' Chuck started sobbing, "You people always have to be prejudiced! I could be a nice sensitive person but because of the _one_ time I trip and mess up, I get crap for it? The wind was in my eye, ok?!"

Iggy put his claw under his chin, and tapped his finger on the table, "Jeez, did you play ball in? Koreatnam?"

"No, I'm done with you people! Screw you all!" The football uniformed Koopa ran away, sobbing loudly.

Both brothers blinked, and looked at each other. "..."

"..."

They shouted in unison, "Next!"

Meanwhile…

"...and that's why I'm not better than any of you. The only thing I have to hold onto is my seniority," Ludwig said after a lengthy explanation.

"Hm…" Wendy tapped her foot on the ground. "I don't buy it. Say it all again."

"...Ugh…" Ludwig groaned in response, and looked up, "...take it, please…." 

Back outside…

Both brothers were being relentlessly annoyed by a Bouncing Music Note with their claws covering their ears.

"Gah, would he shut up?!" Larry shouted.

"I can't hear you!" Iggy shouted in response, "He's been blaring the Underground theme for 10 minutes and 23 seconds!"

Larry growled and looked at the Bouncing Music note, "Just stop, just stop just stop! Go, get the fraction outta here!"

The Music Note stopped, and started hopping away.

"Ugh….ok…" Larry sat down and looked at his clipboard, "Who's left?"

Iggy leaned over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"The Final Four…" Larry smirked.

Unfortunately, the music had been the straw that had broken the camel's back, and Wendy smirked at her brothers, "Final Four what?" Ludwig slowly started walking away, until she caught him out of the corner of her eye."Get your tiny blue butt over here. Now!" This made Ludwig come back, looking ashamed of himself.

Larry hid the clipboard behind his back, while Iggy tried to think of a distractor. "Oh hey Wendy. How's the weather? You look good today. That a new bow? How was break-"

Wendy shouted, "Shut up!" She then lowered her voice, "Now, care to tell me what's going on?"

Larry blinked, "Uhh…."

Wendy glared at them all. "Don't lie. Answer me. Now."

"..."

"..."

"..."

All the brothers were silent until Wendy made her scept appear in her hands, "Ok, if I don't get an answer in the next 10 seconds, you'll be going in my little…. _Fungeon…_.so what'll it be?"


	49. The Truth

Chapter 49: The Truth

"...three...two…"

Larry couldn't take anymore of this, and came up front, "Alright fine, Wendy. We created a dating site for you on the internet, and you got a lot of pings, so...I only wanted to meet one today. But…" he twiddled his index claws.

"But what?!" Wendy screamed.

"Something-I dunno what happened, but something caused the computer to go nuts, and send all umpteen dudes your profile so now they wanna meet you…"

"Hm," she looked at Iggy, then Ludwig, "And I suppose you two were involved as well. Messing with my personal life when you had no right to do so."

Iggy came clean. "...Yeah...but on the bright side, we know you're popular-ow," he was elbowed in the side by Larry.

Ludwig on the other hand, remained silent. This made Wendy glare at him harder, "Oh? Not talking?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Oh, very much so."

With a sigh, Ludwig closed his eyes for a moment. He then opened them, "It was all me. This was my idea, not theirs."

Wendy laughed, "Ha! Don't even try that scapegoat crap with me. I knew you boneheads were up to something from the get go."

This made the brothers shout in surprise, "What?!"

"Mm-hmm," Wendy smirked, "You don't think I've heard of that site before? _Everyone_ uses it. Not to mention the fact that all of you were acting weird as heck made it clear something involving me was going on. And I just got over a breakup so yeah."

"No." Ludwig said firmly, "I roped them into this and made them do it while I sat back with my claws clean. But the plan failed horribly."

What made Larry's eyes go as wide as dinner plates. Why was Ludwig doing that? What was going on? Unfortunately, his level of utter shock prevented him from speaking out.

"Is that so?" Wendy asked, "Did he really force you guys into this?"

"Uh…" gears slowly turned within Iggy's mind as he realized what Ludwig was doing, "Yeah."

Larry simply nodded one time.

"Huh. Then I guess it is your fault, Ludwig. And you call yourself a brother and a leader. Shame on you." She shook her head and walked right past him.

Ludwig was surprised. He has surely expected Wendy to lash out in some way, shape or form, but nothing happened. "Wait...so you aren't angered at all?"

Wendy didn't turn around. She simply chuckled, "I already have four guys texting me on my phone. But next time, don't meddle in my personal life, understand me?"

"Uh...sure."

Wendy smiled brightly, "Thank you!" the castle door would then close behind her.

Larry stared at his oldest brother. His mind raced as he tried to think of what to say in return, but Ludwig preemptively cut him off. "Before you say anything-don't, please. I've got a lot to deal with right now, and this just became one of them."

As much as Larry wanted to run over and hug his brother, he instead respected his wishes with a nod of confirmation. "Alright. Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Ludwig muttered before walking inside.

"You know what this means, right Iggs?"

"WE'RE SAVED! WE'RE SAVED! WE'RE SAVED!" The lanky Koopaling started running around while cackling, "WE'RE SAVED SAVED. SAVED SAVED. SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED. SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED-SAVED. YEAH, WE ARE SAVED."

"Well that's _one_ way to interpret it-" his shell started buzzing, indicating his phone was vibrating. "Hold up." He reached for it, and pushed talk while Iggy was still doing crazy stuff in the background. "Yo."

"Hey, Larry," Daisy replied on his phone.

Larry started walking away from the castle to get some more quiet away from Iggy's yelling. "Um, hey. What's up?"

"Just calling to see how Wendy's doing. Ya know, little miss big horn?" She laughed as she started doing her morning pushups with her phone on speaker. "One...two…."

Larry snickered at that, "Funny. But naw, she's fine. Apparently some guys are texting her now, and plan to meet up with her."

"Three...good. Four...did she...five..get mad….six."

"Nuh-uh. In fact, Ludes took the fall, and said he did it all. Wendy looked perfectly fine."

"Ooh...dunno if that's good, bro...seven, eight, nine..."

Larry blinked. "Why not?"

"Ten. Usually when you mess with a girl's life, and she seems cool over it, it either means she's legit cool…" Daisy changed positions with her back to the floor to start sit ups, "Or she's got somethin' else in mind."

"I see. I wouldn't worry, though," Larry said confidently, "Ludes is tough."

As Daisy started her sit ups, she answered. "Alright. Well just be careful out there, ok?"

"I will. Hehe, see ya orange."

"Bye!"

Larry hung up his phone, and looked back over at Iggy, "Yo, Iggy! Wanna go get some pizza?"

No response came.

"Iggy?" Before he could blink, his brother was already on his bicycle.

"Heck, yeah, come on!"

"Yeah! Race ya!" Larry grabbed his scooter, and started pushing off with his foot.

"Hey no fair!" Iggy pedaled after him.

Meanwhile in the throne room.

Bowser was watching a light blue orb that was showcasing a recording of Ludwig faking that the entire thing was his fault before his eyes. With a soft chuckle, he could clap at what he saw, _"Classic Ludwig. Lying and deceiving your way out of things while watching out for your loved ones like a real Koopa. Best example set for the Troop I've ever seen."_


	50. Business

Chapter 50: Business

King Boo had felt ashamed of himself for the last few days. His methods to impress Bow had fallen flat on its face, and now he was nothing but embarrassed by it. By now, he had reverted to his normal form: Looking as if he was a normal Boo, but larger and with a crown on his head. The same form he had taken when participating in sports and Kart Racing. But regardless, it was to mainly tone down his level of creepiness as he made his way into a nearby city-Mushroom City to be exact.

" _Ugh...sometimes I question the value of being immortal…"_ the ghost monarch thought to himself. A thought then realized that with his appearance, he would still be recognizable. With a bit of his magic, he transformed into a small, normal, average-looking Boo with no crown. From there, he would float down the streets of the city until he found his hangout spot-The Bannered Mush. _"Maybe a few dozen rounds of carbonated sugar liquid will ease my problem."_

Still disguised as a normal Boo, King Boo floated inside of the restaurant, and sat on a toad stool at the counter where the sodas were served. "Just gimme whatever," he muttered as he placed a stack of coins on the counter. In return, he would be presented with a frothy mug of rootbeer. "Thanks, E." He replied to the orange Toad behind the counter. Fizz E. was his name, and he was generally an easy going Toad unless someone started trouble.

"Rough day again, eh, Red?" The Toad asked as he rubbed a glass with a cloth.

"King" Boo replied, "Just business as usual. Ya know how it is."

"Pff, dames again?" The Toad chuckled, "Some things just aren't worth it in the world, sonny."

"How so?"

Fizz put the glass down and walked over to "King" Boo, "Some things may not require your full attention. Instead, sometimes just let the chips fall where they may."

"But how will I know if I don't try?" The Boo said back with frustration, "There always has to be another way."

"Bro, bro. If a lady wants ya, she'll come on her own. Don't worry 'bout nobody else."

"You have a point. I guess everyone has different methods."

Fizz gave him an assuring smile, "There ya go, buddy boy," he then went back over to shining a glass. "Everything's gonna be fine." To this, "King" Boo didn't reply, and simply sipped from his mug of root beer. "Hm, I'll be right back," he left the Boo alone for a moment.

It would be a solid half hour of "King" Boo silently sipping from his mug and thinking to himself about his decisions, and whether or not his motives were proper, or if his methods were correct. _"Maybe he's right. Some things should be left alone."_ If he had a hand, it would be balled into a fist as his thoughts became messier. _"I still cannot believe that little Koopa boy and Luigi's hag of a girlfriend somehow managed to give me a challenge. And….Bow…."_ he became less tense as a tear ran down the side of his face, _"What I wouldn't do to have you at my side again …"_

All the sudden, his thoughts would be broken by the sound of heavy footsteps walking up behind him. A few moments later, a massive cloaked figure, easily the size of Bowser but with a rounder body shape sat next to "King" Boo.

The Boo looked over to him. He could swear he recognized whoever it was due to the body shape and scaly feet, but decided not to speak as to avoid making an awkward scenario.

Just then, a deep voice would come from the cloaked figure, "Fancy meeting a fellow King here."

The Boo's eyes popped open with surprise as he spat out his root beer for a quick second. That voice. It was clear as day. "Hm? I don't know you…"

A heavy chuckle came from the figure next to him, "Oh, don't even start with that. I know that's your disguise, Ki-"

"Shhh. Don't say my name here!" The Boo warned him, "I'm sorta banned from here."

"Oh yeah, right. Sorry."

The Boo raised an eyebrow, "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Ugh…" The cloaked figure sighed, "Just wanted to take a break from all of that stuff I'm dealing with down the coast. Dealing with islands and stuff really gets tiring."

"King" Boo nodded, "I see…so no evil plans or anything?"

"Nope. How's about you?"

"Well one of my most recent ones just bombed miserably so now I'm taking a rest as well."

As the Boo went back to sipping at his root beer, the cloaked figure would sigh. "You know what would be great? Us teaming up again like old times. Ya know how it used to be back then?"

"Ohohoho, don't even get me started," "King" Boo replied with a chortle, "We're not young anymore. I dunno if we could even begin to try that again."

"Well…" a muscular arm protruded from his cloak, holding a note. "I was toying around with an idea that I once had. With how gullible some people are to trick, it'd be fun…"

The Boo levitated the paper into his body, from which he read all of it instantly. He blinked. "...This sounds crazy enough to work and be fun at the same time."

"How 'bout it, KB?"

After a moment, the Boo nodded again, "Why the heck not? Let's formulate the plan at my castle."

"Sounds like a plan." And with that, the two got up from their seats and left The Bannered Mush.

Fizz E. eventually came back to find the soad King Boo has spat out earlier, dripping from the counter. "...I'm gettin' too old for this bull."


	51. Sunshine

Chapter 51: Sunshine

Back at her castle, Daisy was relaxing in her backyard on a lawn chair under an umbrella, wearing a two-piece orange floral swimsuit, and a pair of orange sandals on her feet "Ahh...nothin' like a nice set of stuff to sign under the sun in mah yard." She put on her reading glasses and picked up a clipboard that was next to her.

Drible opened the sliding door that led out back, "Madam Daisy? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, bud." She tapped the pen upon her chin.

"Do you need anything? A refill of your beverage? A page turned? A foot massage?"

Daisy shook her head, "Nah. I am, gettin' a bit hungry, though," he stomach growled as if it was a motor engine, "Check that: I could eat a dozen Mega Mushrooms."

"That would not be recommended…" Drible muttered, "Do you know about Godzilla?"

"Pff, I own every single DVD pack, but I think it'd be cool to have a bigger body…" she giggled to herself.

Drible blushed, "Urm, so what did you say you wanted to eat? Please don't order a pizza. My brother will deliver it and won't leave."

Daisy was now laughing with little snorts in between, "Yeah, but he's funny." She then paused to think for a moment, "Hm...what to eat…" muttered as she signed some more things on her clipboard.

"I could whip up something for you," Drible offer as he walked over to her side.

"Hm…" Daisy placed an affectionate hand on her butler's head, "You're the sweetest thing, ya know that?"

This made him blush, "Oh no, Madam Daisy. I merely live to serve you."

She giggled, then sighed, "Man, with you around, it's like dad is still here…"

Drible tilted his head, the motion carrying her hand along with it. "Hm?" In his mind, he recalled how Daisy said that she had been attacked by King Boo pretending to be her father, and realized that she may have been having some bad memories. "...Did you sleep well last night?"

A sigh came from Daisy in response, "Not the _best_ night I've had, but I did toss and turn a little…"

"You know that was King Boo, right? Nothing was real in there."

Daisy had removed her hand by now, and sat up, placing them both in her lap. "I know just...it sucks that he's…"

Drible placed his hand on Daisy's to comfort her, "I understand your pain, Madam. Please...feel free to let out any tears you may have."

"I am, bud," she replied despite not having actually shed a tear on the outside. "It _hurts_. The simple idea of hitting my dad is just...I wanted to leave and never come back."

"That rotten King Boo," Drible scowled, "Him and his dirty mind games."

Daisy snorted, "Heh, dirty mind games," that seemed to cheer her up somewhat. "I just wanted to punch him against the wall so hard until he cried like a little….ya know the rest."

"Yes, but you handled it maturely, while also keeping yourself looking as wonderful as you always do," Drible reassured her.

The flower princess smirked at him, "Practicing your flirty skillz on me, eh?"

This made Drible stutter, "Uh-w-no! Dare I say, not! I wouldn't dream of doing something like that to you."

"Hahaha! Calm down, bruh. I'm just kiddin'" She rubbed his head again, "But I appreciate you going out of your way to talk to me. You lit up my day better than the sun. And trust me, after dealing with King Boo, I don't wanna see no more ghost movies."

"But what about the New Ghostbusters that has just come out?" her butler jested, knowing about the movie. 

Daisy blinked, "Bro! That movie is utter garbage! And I'm a chick! Like, really? They replaced all four guys with chicks, and now they're just so….dumb, it's idiotic as heck."

"Personally, the jabs at men were a bit too….messed up as you may say," Drible replied.

"Heh, I could go on all day about that new movie."

"My brother said that the game based on the movie dumped its company into bankruptcy _three days_ after it was released."

"Wow." Daisy laughed, "Man, you really are a little ray of sun, ya know that? I'm always amped up with you around."

Drible smiled, "I try my best."

"Yup," the redhead princess got up from her lawn chair, and started walking towards the door to get back inside, "Now let's see...what to eat."

Suddenly, her phone started ringing on the stool next to her chair. "Hm?" Drible grabbed it, and presented it to her, "It's for you."

"Oh, thanks," she took her phone, and pressed talk. "Talk to meh-" Loud shouting could be heard from the other end as she replied back in between her and the other voice speaking, "Wait what...huh….calm down….you're leaving….uh-huh….someone like me? I mean….I guess I can….when? Today? Uh...sure…" she hung up.

Drible looked up at her, "Who was it?"

She looked down at him, "Someone who's lost their bananas."


	52. Dried Bananas

Chapter 52: Dried Bananas

Earlier…

In the middle of Donkey Kong Island lay the home of the iconic ape himself. He had called everyone to his house for something very important. Three of which, were Diddy, Dixie, and Tiny Kong.

"What do you guys think he called us here for?" Diddy asked the other two Kongs.

Dixie would answer him, "No idea. Sounded really important from the way he was shouting."

Tiny Kong folded her arms, "Whatever it is, I hope I get something to do," she muttered to herself.

"Well, I think we're about to find out," Diddy Kong climbed up the ladder that led to his partner's house, followed by his girlfriend.

Dixie started climbing, and noticed her younger sister wasn't following them, "Hey, you coming?"

Tiny Kong looked up, "Nah, I'm cool down here."

Her big sister could tell something was off, but couldn't focus on it as she had to follow Diddy up the ladder to DK's house. "Is he home?"

Diddy Kong had already knocked on the door, "We'll find out."

Moments later, a huge ape with a red tire that had his signature initials on it answered the door. "There you are!" he shouted with anxiety, "Come in, quickly!"

Both Kongs scampered inside, closing the door behind them. "What did you call us up here for?" Dixie asked.

"Yeah, you sounded worried as heck over the phone," said Diddy.

Donkey Kong went on to explain, "Rool's at it again! He stole the bananas! We have to get them back!"

Diddy whispered to Dixie, "You'd think he'd learn to keep better watch of it by now," this made her giggle in response. He then looked over at Donkey Kong, "So what? We'll just do what we always do, and get 'em back."

"Yeah, but there's something else," DK explained, "The other Kongs are out on vacation. Cranky led everyone away for a fishing trip, and I need to think of someone who can watch Tiny until we get back. It's too dangerous with the Kremlings around."

"Hey!" Dixie put her hands on her hips, "My little sister can take care of herself!"

"Uh, yeah. Right." Diddy rolled his eyes, "Remember the last time she spent just _ten_ minutes alone?"

Dixie scoffed, "So she's a little clumsy! So what? Anyone could've cause a fire that big."

"Rrrright…anyway," DK went on, "Who are we going to get to watch her?"

"Um...well if everyone's gone, what about that Mario guy?" Dixie suggested, "You guys are friends, right?"

"...Not exactly."

Diddy scratched his head, "His brother?"

"Don't trust him either."

"The princess?" Dixie said.

DK laughed. "She doesn't trust _me._ "

Diddy was at a loss, "Wario? Bowser?"

"No, and heck no."

"Uhhh…." Dixie looked around as if the answer would jump out at her, "What's her name...orange princess…"

"Princess Daffodil, or something?" Diddy asked.

"No it's….um…"

DK tried a go at guessing. "Dandelion?"

"No, it's...it's a flower that starts with D, I know that much. She rules some place called Sassyland."

It then clicked in DK's head, "Oh, yeah! I remember her. A friend of Peach's. She sounds like a good match, no?"

"Yeah. I mean, she takes care of plants well, and her Kingdom's only been threatened once!" Dixie chirped.

"Sounds safer than being by herself anyway," Diddy said.

"Sounds good to me. But first, let's call her to let her know. We wouldn't want to cause any confusion." DK reached for the phone that Funky Kong made for him, and looked at the two Kongs, "Anyone know her number?"

Meanwhile, a hooded figure was eavesdropping on the whole thing from the bushes in the nearby jungle. He cackled lowly to himself, as he rubbed his hands together, "Perfect…" he then spoke into a communicator, "The call's being made. Get ready to intercept, and confirm the next step."

A ghostly voice would speak from the other end, "Good. Now we'll take them both out no problem."

"Especially with how clumsy the tall one is. She'll be our greatest weapon." A pause would fill the air for a moment until he spoke again, "Alright, they're making the call. Get ready."

"We're ready alright…." a small chuckle would resonate from the other end, "very ready…"


	53. Cruel Intentions

Chapter 53: Cruel Intentions

"So he's sending her here?" Drible asked Daisy, "Why?"

"Honestly, I dunno," she admitted, "DK sounded so upset over the phone it was ridiculous."

Drible smiled in return, "Well at least this means we can establish a foreign relation with the Kong Island, no?"

"Yeah, you're right," Daisy wrote something else down on her clipboard, "Better make sure I have enough time to keep her company and stuff." She looked down at herself and her bikini clothing, "I'll also need to dress presentably."

"Shall I go fetch your dress for you?"

Daisy shook her head, "Nah, not that frilly thing. I need somethin' that looks good on my body, yea know? Something that'll form with mah curves and stuff. Like my tennis outfit."

Drible nodded, "The one with the shorts, madam?"

She nodded, and got up, "Yup. I need to shower. You go get ready too."

"Of course, madam Daisy."

Meanwhile in the jungle...

Dixie Kong dropped down the ladder to find her little sister sitting on a rock, "Hey, Tiny gues-"

She cut her off, sighing, "Lemme guess. You guys are gonna go on _another_ adventure and leave me out, hm?"

"..."

The tall Kong put a green backpack over her shoulders, "Look, it's fine, ok? I'm used to it by now.' She turned and started walking, "I guess this time'll be different because I'm not staying alone with Candy Kong. It's been awhile since I've been to the Mushroom Kingdom anyway."

"Are you alright?" Dixie called after her, "You need some help?"

Tiny Kong simply sashayed into the thick brush, "Nah. Go on, and have fun like you always do."

Dixie tried to say something else, but before she could, DK, and Diddy Kong were already ahead of her with Diddy shouting her name to follow. "Hey, come on! We ain't got time to waste."

She sighed, and closed her eyes, turning around to take off in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Tiny Kong kept walking through the dense jungle, and began to write to herself in her diary with a pink pen, _"Dear Diary: Once again this has happened. My friends are off without me, and now I gotta go back to the mainland. In order to reach the mushroom Kingdom from Kong Island, I have to jump into a powerful barrel cannon that's capable of firing over that great a distance across the ocean. Funky Kong's been busy as heck, though..."_

As she continued writing away, Tiny would eventually reach the other side of the brush, and onto the beach of the island. "Hm?" She looked around, scratching her head, "What the…"

There, just a few feet away, was a giant DK cannon that was big enough to fire Luigi if he ate a Mega Mushroom. "...Woah. That's one big cannon." Lost in awe for a moment, she started circling the cannon until she found the ladder she would use to get inside. "..." she swallowed a lump of fear in her throat as she began to climb it.

" _It's….it's huge….so huge…"_ are the words that ran through her mind as she climbed the ladder to make it up. "Here we go…" she mumbled with anxiety as she slid into the cannon, with a claw arm placing something on her backpack. "So if I remember correctly, this should focus like most of the other ca-

 _BANG!_

"-ANNNNONNNNSSSS!" she shouted through the air as the barrel cannon launched her across the sky. "...Woah…." Whatever fear that had built up inside of her had slowly diminished as she looked out over the crips blue ocean water as the Island had become a small dot behind her.

The claw arm had placed a device on her that turned into a glider-similar to the ones used in the Kart Races. It allowed her to glide carefully over the water with ease. "Funky you're freakin' amazing!" she closed her eyes, taking in the cool air that ran through her fur, and smelling the crisp, salty air of the sea below her.

It wouldn't be long before the mainland was in sight, and she began to write in her diary again while gliding. _"Now, I'm flying through the air on my way back to the mainland Kingdoms after so long. The only time I've been there was to play baseball with DK and ugh...you-know-who. But seeing Mario and his friends like that...all together and fun with each other made me...jealous. Just...everyone over there seemed like a family who did everything together, while I'm only involved for one single baseball tournament. It's...it...it feels so..."_

She would pause for a moment as something failed to click. Nothing she could fixate her mind upon would flow out onto the page anymore. Tiny Kong had frozen, staring at the words on the page of her diary and couldn't seem to think of anything else to put down. "..."

It would stay that way for a long time until she could see land ahead. "Ah!" Panicking, she quickly scrambled to put her diary and pen away as she pressed the button for the parachute to activate, "Ah! Dangit, Funky Kong!" The sand of the beach would be coming too fast, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Oh shitake mushrooms."

With a hammering thud, Tiny Kong slammed into the beach, tumbling around for a little while until she would stop by smacking dead into a tree. "Ow." She rubbed her head, and turned around to make sure her backpack was safe, which it was. "Ugh, FK needs to work on that landing gear."

Her eyes would then light up as she noticed a sign: "Sarasaland Beach." This meant she was where she needed to be. "Yes! Maybe I can meet some of them and have fun with a family for once." She got up, and started running opposite of the sign towards the city…

Meanwhile, under a beach umbrella, a floating pair of binoculars watched her take off. "She took the bait…" a voice said into a communicator.

"Good," a voice said from the other end, "Now when she gets there, we'll both get what we want…"


	54. Big City, Little Kong

Chapter 54: Big City, Little Kong

As she made her way through Sarasaland, Tiny Kong was...perplexed to say the least. Everything was so new to her. The sight of the bustling traffic, the tall buildings, and the sheer lack of flora. The only time she had been outside of her home environment when when she was a part of the baseball tournament on baseball island. She remembered there was a stadium based on a city there that belonged to Wario, but this place was much different.

" _Woah...the lights and the cars...this place looks so cool!"_ In all her gawking, she didn't realize as she bumped into someone. "Oof!"

The person she had bumped into was a Shy Guy who was carrying some boxes. "Ey! Watch where you're goin', skinny!"

Tiny blinked, and offered her hand to help him up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Get lost." The Shy Guy simply pushed her out of the way.

"Hmph." She folded her arms and kept walking. It was odd to meet such rude people that weren't Kremlings. _"And to think I thought I'd get a break."_ As she kept walking, she found herself at a crosswalk section of the road. "Hm?"

Putting her foot forward, she would try to cross, right before a car whizzed past her, making her ponytails flap in the wind. "Ah! What the heck was that?!" Her head turned at attention to another one. She remembered DK talking about something similar to these before. _"Karts? But these are bigger and don't have open roofs. Are these normal cars?"_

When there was seemingly nothing on the road, Tiny would try again, putting her foot forward...and _zoom!_ Another car zipped right past her, causing her to scowl at the road. "Ugh! Alright, you wanna play it like that?" She climbed up the light post as if it was a tree back home, and grabbed onto the street sign with both hands as if she was hanging from a branch. "Hm….aha!"

Without anymore hesitation, she swung herself back and forth until she had gained enough momentum to launch herself over the road, and onto the other side, landing perfectly on her feet. "Hm. Stupid street things," she turned her head and kept walking.

A sweet aroma would pass her nose, causing her to sniff a few times. "Hm?" She followed the smell, realizing she was near several restaurants. "Woah…there's nothing like this in the jungle." Moments later she would come across a bakery with pies, cakes, and cookies in the window. The scent of everything was almost intoxicating. "...Wow….something that isn't bananas for once…" She pressed her face on the window like a child at a candy store.

Meanwhile a disembodied voice watched her from the distance. "...Move in."

Moments later, Tiny Kong felt herself moved with an invisible force into a dark alleyway across the street. "Ah!" She yelped with surprise as she found herself on the dirty ground of the alley. "Hey!" She stood up, and spat out some dirt, "Pff! Who was that?!"

The sound of cackling resonated along the walls of the alley around her. It felt as if the noises would crush down on her despite no weight being there. "...Who's there…" she got up and tried to run out of the alley, but there was an invisible

A stark chill would run down her spine as a small voice called out to her, "Over here!"

Meanwhile, at the castle…

Daisy was in her office working on some papers and looked up at the clock. "Huh…that's weird. Hey Drible!"

Moments later, the bony Koopa would arrive in the room. "Yes, madam Daisy?"

"Over the phone, DK said Tiny would be here in about an hour. How long has it been since he called?"

"If I recall correctly, it was at exactly 2:33PM. It is now…"

"3:40. I know," Daisy finished, "Maybe we should go looking for her?"

"Don't fret, madam Daisy. It's only been a few minutes longer than expected."

Daisy sighed, "Still...can ya tell the guards to be on the lookout for her if she comes around?"

Drible nodded, "As you wish, madam Daisy," he left her office to let his princess work.

However, Daisy herself made a mental note: If Tiny didn't show up within the next hour, then she would go looking for her herself.


	55. Risks

Chapter 55: Risks

As the invisible voice called Tiny to turn around, she quickly started rustling for something in her backpack. "I dunno who you are, but get away from me before you get hurt."

"Pff." The disembodied voice scoffed, "And just what do you think you're going to do about it, you poor dumb fool?"

"Excuse me?!" Tiny's eyes were ablaze.

"Why do you think you've been left behind? The only time you were useful was when you were a child." The voice laughed, "The only thing you're useful for now is being on the cover of some stupor-model magazi-"

 _Beep-beep-beep-beep-beeeeeeep! BOOM!_

The voice was cut off by a sudden sharp feather piercing the side of its body, and exploding. "Agh!"

Tiny loaded another feather into her crossbow, "C'mon. Say somethin' else! I dare you! Come on!" 

" _Woah...that was unexpected. Better keep it going."_ "Ahem. Oh and your sister: She's dumb too."

"What did you just say?!" her teeth became serrated out of anger.

"D-U-M-B. Dumb!" A blast of black magic was shot towards her.

This was nothing to Tiny, however as she quickly evaded the magic with a cartwheel, "How about you learn some manners?" She loaded more feathers into her bow, and fired a flurry of them at wherever the voice was coming from.

The feathers made contact with something, and like before, exploded into a harsh array of smoke and ash. "Agh! Oh no! You got me!" The voice would suddenly begin to fade away, and the way for her to exit would be clear.

Tiny noticed the sarcasm within the voice, but before she could do anything, she realized everything was back to normal, and that she had been forced out of the alley by yet another invisible force. "What the-?" There was nothing else to see, and it was as if nothing had happened, besides an ominous chill in the air. "...Ughhhh…." she shuddered and held her backpack close as she ran away from the alley. "What the heck…"

Meanwhile, the disembodied voice watched her leave from afar, "Ok...now we know what we're dealing with, boys….protect yourselves from explosives…"

At the castle…

Daisy's royal guards-which were mostly Doogans-had noticed the explosion from one of their command towers. They wore orange metal armor with Princess Daisy's flower emblem etched onto the attire.

"Yo, look down there." One of them said, passing binoculars to his partner.

The other Doogan took the binoculars, and blinked. "The heck was that?"

"I dunno. But it sounds suspicious as heck, Barkley. It looks like the explosion is right down the direct path which one takes when they first enter the city. On Spruce, and Choco St."

"Derek, we gotta inform the Princess," the other Doogan warned, running down the stairs of the castle.

"Barkely, hold up, man!"

Downstairs, Daisy was getting more and more worried as far as where Tiny Kong could be. Unfortunately, the soundproofing of her office made it to where she couldn't hear anything. However…

The keen ears of her Doogan guards had never let her down in the past, and they sure as heck weren't going to now.

"Daisy!" One of the guards shouted as they burst through her office doors, "We heard an explosion in the middle of the city!"

The other Doogan nodded, "We think Tiny Kong may be in danger."

At this, Daisy took off her glasses, "Alright." She placed them on her desk, and grabbed her phone, "I'm goin' out to find her." She put on her coat, and bolted towards the front door where she passed up Drible.

The bony koopa was dazed momentarily from her whizzing past, and questioned his princess. "Madam Daisy? Where are you going?"

Daisy stopped and faced her butler, "The guards said they heard an explosion down the road. It could be dangerous."

"How long will you be out?" he asked.

"Dunno, but I won't be back until I find her. I told DK I'd watch her, and that's exactly what's gonna happen." She turned to leave but stopped, "Oh, and Drible? One more thing."

"Yes?"

"You're in charge." She closed the door behind her, leaving her castle. 


	56. Responsible

Chapter 56: Responsible

Drible blinked, realizing he had been left in charge once more when Daisy left. "Oh, um...alright." He turned around and looked around. The foyer was empty, and there was nobody there but him. "I guess I can rest for a moment." The bony Koopa decided to walk around and take a quick check on the surrounding zones of the castle. First of which-the captain.

A red Yoshi with a military camo vest, and goggles on her forehead was sitting at her post as always. The Yoshi was busy making sure everything was in order and taking into account the supplies the armed forces of Daisy's army had within the barracks. "...Forty-two, forty-three.."

That is, until Drible knocked on the door of the barracks, breaking the Yoshi's concentration, "Um, Christine?"

A clang followed by angered grumbling was heard from the other side of the room where the captain worked. "Ugh, stupid bolts and rust-" The red Yoshi would then zip over to Drible in an instant, "Whaddya want, Drible, I'm very busy. And I told you before-call me Chris."

"Alright, well, Chris...Madam Daisy has left me in charge, and I felt I needed to do a routine check over everything."

The Yoshi rolled her eyes, and held up a clipboard, "Just making sure everything's in order for the crew as always. Did Barkley and Derek let you know about the explosion near town?"

Drible nodded once, "Yes, they did. Which is why Madam Daisy left, putting me in charge."

The Yoshi folded her arms, raising an eyebrow, "You uh, you sure you can handle that on your own? Sarasaland is pretty big. It could take her forever to find Tiny Kong."

"Well, I know. Just coming by to check."

"Just training the Codex-gressus as always," the Yoshi replied, pointing to the Blockstepper soldiers resting in the distance. "Told them to take a break from our training exercises."

"Code-what?" Drible asked, tilting his head.

"Latin for block and step. They're Blocksteppers, so I thought it was a good codename to keep our enemies out of the loop until we crash down on them with unrelenting force, burning stares into their eyes that they won't ever forget! Ahahaha!" She cackled before clearing her throat, "Ahem, so ya know, basic stuff."

Drible raised an eyebrow, "I...see. Sounds like quite the time you have here."

"Meh, yeah, ya know," she shrugged.

"Tell me, how do you handle the soldiers?" Drible asked, "I never really spend much time outside of the castle, so I don't really know much about your customs."

Chris smirked, "Oh, just a bit of manhandling here, manhandling there," she chuckled, "Pretty easy."

"Alright, well then don't let me keep you from-"

"Hey, you need any help?" the Yoshi offered, "If anyone gets out of line, I can contain whatever complications that surface should they arise."

"Um…"

"I'm saying I can help."

"Oh!" Drible blinked with realization, and promptly shook his head, "I'm sure I can handle it. I've taken care of Daisy since before you were born, Christie."

The Yoshi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, we know. I'm just makin' sure ya can handle watching the castle by your lonesome. I know how hard some of these things can get. And watching after an entire castle isn't exactly fun."

"Trust me. I can handle it just fine." Drible smirked slightly, and started walking away from her, "You worry too much, Chris."

Christie closed her eyes and shook her head. _"That's only because you've mostly been dealing with one person, bud. I've been dealing with multiple people at once for years…"_ her thoughts then translated into words, "why couldn't Daisy have put _me_ in charge? I'm here working my butt off trying to keep our army in shape and she chooses her butler of all people." She sighed, and looked up at the castle, "Can't say I blame her, though. He does spend more time in the castle than me. I just wish he'd be more accepting of my offer…" 

One of the Doogan guards from before-Barkley, had waltzed up to Christie, and casually spoke, "Well maybe ya should kinda go up and, I dunno, ask for more chances to do stuff instead of just sitting around waiting?"

The Yoshi narrowed her eyes at him, "Who let you onto the barracks?"

"Myself," the Doogan replied simply, "You kinda need to up your security or you might get ransaaaaacked~" he teased in a sing-song tone.

The Yoshi shook her head again, "Ugh, you are so annoying. Why can't you just go back to your post?"

"Aha!" The Doogan smirked, "You didn't deny it."

"Ok, admittedly we could use some extra enforcement near the South side," Christie said, folding her arms.

"See? The truth ain't that hard to admit now is it?" He smirked.

Christie sighed. "Whatever. Still, you're also right about that. Maybe I should ask Daisy for more responsibility."

"Only if you can handle it."

She nodded, "Yeah. Maybe. Thanks Barkley. I appreciate you actually helping for once."

The Doogan simply laughed in response, "Me? I'm not helping. I'm here to get whatever amusement out of you. If you consider it 'help' then that's you. I just came here for a laugh."

"Ugh, you're something else you know that?" she replied.

"I know," he smirked as he started walking away, "Can't live with me, can't live without me."

The Yoshi simply scoffed, "Whatever," and went back to counting supplies. She then blinked, realizing something was missing, "Hey, where's that other steak ration?" She looked out, and saw Barkley had taken one for himself, resulting in her clenching her teeth, "Dangit, Barkley!"


	57. Defenders

Chapter 57: Defenders

Drible had managed taking care of certain responsibilities pretty well. The garbage, trash, dishes. All of the basics. Everything was peaceful and quiet around Daisy's castle when she was away. Nothing would keep him from keeping everything in order, as he always made sure to keep the castle in shape were she to return.

Currently, Drible was scrubbing down a mirror in the main hall, "Hm...it's been a while. Maybe I should call her." A break was in order as the skeletal koopa put his cleaning rag down, and made his way downstairs towards the phone. However, before he could get there, he was interrupted by a knock at the front door, "Hm?"

When he went over to answer it, the same Yoshi from before was standing there: Daisy's captain of the royal guard, Christie. "Hey. What's up?"

"Chris," Drible answered, "I thought you were busy."

"Yeah well, after another round of patrolling, I decided to come down and see if everything was alright with you," she leaned over, peeking inside, "I see the place is spotless as always."

Drible smirked up at her, "Well of course. You know when Madam Daisy leaves me in charge, I take care of everything that I can."

The Yoshi sighed internally, "Uh-huh. I'm sure you do. But aren't you worried? It's been about two hours and she still isn't back yet."

"Sarasaland is pretty massive, Chris. It's going to take her a while to search for Tiny Kong." 

Christie shrugged, "Yeah yeah, you said that already. Anyway, is there anything I can do to help out?"

"Well, I am almost done. But there are papers that need to be signed that have to do with the military's defenses." Drible stood aside to allow her in, "Come."

 _"Uch, finally. Something for me to do."_ The Yoshi followed him inside.

Meanwhile, a pair of binoculars watched them enter from the bushes nearby. "They're in. The place isn't as fortified without her around."

Another voice spoke, "But who's that Yoshi thing that went inside?"

"I think that's the captain of the guard."

"Pff, she don't look so tough."

"Let's not get cocky bro," the first voice warned, "Let's head over there, and see what this is about. Then we'll call for backup if need be."

"Alright, let's move in."

Back inside the castle…

Chris and Drible made their way up to Daisy's office where they both had started looking over papers that needed to be signed. "Alright, what's good here?" the Yoshi asked.

Dribled turned to face her, "Well it simply amounts to writing your name on the sheet of paper to confirm what request is imprinted upon the documents."

Chris slapped her hand on her forehead, "Ugh, I know what it means to sign an official paper. I'm just trying to figure out what the actual heck these are supposed to be for."

"Usually, when I'm curious, I _read_ them, Christie," Drible said back.

Chris sighed, "Ugh, just-nevermind."

Just then, three loud knocks rapped upon the front door of the castle, to which Drible's ears pricked up-if he had any of course. "I'll get that," he set the papers down, and walked out of the office, down the stairs, and to the front door.

He adjusted his bow tie to make sure he was straight, and opened the door, "Hello?"

Standing at the door were two massive Kritters who carried clubs in their hands, heavy weaponry on their backs, and mean grins that were eerily twisted. "Mornin' cupcake."

"Ah!" Drible nearly jumped out of his shell closing the door in the faces of the Kritters. Once more, this was a rare instance that made him start sweating. Panicking, he quickly shouted, "Chris!"

The Yoshi zipped up to him in a flash, "What's wrong, man?"

"Kritters are outside. We may have a problem," Drible explained, "Th-th-they aren't even from this county or this land! Something is very wrong here, and we have to inform Madam Daisy."

"..." After a pause, Chris simply snorted and started laughing, "Ahahahah! Kritters?" She shook her head, and rolled up her sleeves, "Let me talk to these kind boys while you call the princess, ok?"

Drible nodded, moving away from the door, and bolting towards the phone. He then started feverishly dialing Daisy's cell phone number, "Come on, come on…"

Chris meanwhile, opened the door, "Helloo….." her eyes widened as she realized she was face-to-face with a cannon, "...Oh man…"


	58. Don't Blink

Chapter 58: Don't Blink

 _BANG!_

The cannon went off right in Chris's face. But instead of launching a cannonball, or any sort of physical projectile, it instead fired off a loud flash that blinded the Yoshi, allowing the Kritters to get inside.

"Ah!" Chris staggered back, rubbing her eyes from the blinding flash. "What the-" By the time she had regained visibility, the Kritters were gone, and nothing was at the front door. "Crap. Drible!"

"No! No!" The Dry Bones yelled in frustration, "No answer…"

Chris ran over to him, "Drible, what happened?"

He turned to face her, "There was no answer from Madam Daisy's phone. Something is definitely wrong."

"Well save it for later," Chris told him, "there's a pair of Kritters around here somewhere who're attacking us for some reason."

"Oh no, I have to stand guard and try to reach Madam Daisy."

"No. Here's what you're gonna do," Chris push him towards the stairs, "you are gonna keep trying to call the princess from the office, and lock yourself in there. _I'll_ handle these sewer gator rejects."

Drible didn't bother wasting time to question her. Instead, he simply ran upstairs as fast as he could towards Daisy's office, and bolted the door with a click.

Chris, now alone, looked around for any sign of the Kritters. "...Where are you…"

Out of nowhere, one of the muscular reptilian men jumped out at Chris, surprising her with a sudden grab of her leg.

"Hey!" The Yoshi stepped on his wrist, causing him to let her go, "Back off, buddy." She turned to face him, holding her fists up, "Ya dun bucked up."

"Ahahah!" The Kritter laughed at her, "C'mere, sweetie. I promise nothin' bad's gonna happen. So long as you keep quiet and come with me."

"Uh, yeah lemme think about tha-no!" The Yoshi yelled back, "Ya got ten seconds to state your business here before I take you down myself."

The Kritter was unfazed by her threat. "Pff. Like some egg-laying freak of nature like you is gonna do anything to me." He took a step towards her, "Why don't ya just come along quietly like a good little girl now, huh?"

"One more step, and you'll leave me no choice but to retaliate with unrelenting force!" Chris shouted back.

"That's enough outta you, little missy."

Another Kritter, a blue one, grabbed Chris from behind by her neck. "Ah! Let me go!"

"Now that we've captured her little captain, and the princess is being handled by the boss, we can get our end of the deal," the green Kritter said.

"Oh yeah?" Chris asked, not amused in the slightest, "And what in the heck could that be?"

"Grabbing everything we can get our claws on!"

"You serious?" The Yoshi rolled her eyes, "You're just here to rob the place? Not only is that bad planning, but that's bad organization."

"What?" The Kritter blinked, "You wouldn't know organization if it hit you in that fat nose of yours."

"Pff. Hah! You don't even have a plan," Chris smirked. 

"Of course we do!" The Kritter yelled back, "Once we're done here, we're gonna jack all the stuff, and remake the castle for the boss. Then, we'll take over the Kingdom, and destroy Bowser in the process!"

Chris scoffed, shaking her head, "You guys need some real sense knocked into you." She quickly elbowed the blue Kritter that was holding her, making it let her go. "Come on." She then ran at the green one, jumping in the air with a flying kick.

The Kritter grabbed her by the leg, and threw her across the room into the wall. "You'll have to try better than that," he cracked his knuckles, "Now you're asking for a beating." 

Chris had already began running at him, speeding with a red blur that was impossible to keep track of. Without warning, she tackled the Kritter to the ground, punching him in the eye that left a heavy bruise.

The blue Kritter meanwhile, tried grabbing ahold of Chris, and managed to pull her off of his partner.

However, once again, Chris wasn't having any of it. She rolled forward, sending the blue Kritter's head slamming into the floor. "Don't mess with me," she jumped off of him.

The green Kritter had gotten up, and picked up the _whole living room couch,_ and tossed it at Chris, "Eat this!"

"Ah!" She yelped, and rolled out of the way, causing the sofa to crash through the window. "Are you serious? We got that couch from Block Wall-Mart for 62 coins!"

"Then looks like you'll be paying the price!" The Kritter shouted, throwing the flat screen TV at her.

"Woah!" She somehow managed to catch the television. "Hah!" And right after that came the reclining chair that crashed into the TV, her, and sent her flying into the wall near the front door. "Ow...That's a total of 104 coins…"

The Kritter laughed. "Hah! Now stay there, girly. If ya know what's good for ya."

Suddenly, the chair and TV would be flung off of her in opposite directions. Chris gritted her teeth angrily, and ran at her attacker. "Rrrahh!" She pounced on him, turning him over on the ground with his arm held straight up, poised to break it if need be, "Now, don't move. Don't you even freaking breath, or I'll turn you into a suitcase."

The blue Kritter meanwhile, was about to run up, but stopped when he saw the Yoshi draw some sort of handheld cannon from her thigh holster. "Woah!"

"Back up." Chris pointed the cannon at him, "On the ground and hands behind your head. Make one move and I swear I will fire." She looked down to the Kritter beneath her feet, "That goes for you too. Now, both of you better not move or else."

The blue Kritter held his hands up, "Alright...I'm not gonna move…" he started shaking his leg around, and a button dropped out of his pant leg, "Oops." He said with a smirk before tapping the button with his foot, sending an alarm noise through the castle.

"What the-?!" Before Chris could fire her weapon, _three_ more Kritters jumped in through the windows. One yellow, one brown, and one red. They quickly leapt and pounced on Chris, tying her up. "Urrggh! Let go of me you freaks!"

"And don't worry about your little friend…" the green Kritter snapped his fingers.

From upstairs, someone shouting could be heard, "Ah! No! That doesn't bend that way-ah!" 

Drible would then be tossed downstairs, tied up tight, and landing next to Chris, "..I still couldn't reach Madam Daisy…"

The green Kritter who now was obviously the leader, spoke, "Alright boys, get the place ready for the boss." He then looked over at the Yoshi and Dry Bones, "Heheahahah! Look who's sorry now! I bet that princess is really glad to have hired ya."

Chris simply looked away, not saying a word in reply.

"Hm.." the Kritter smirked, "Because you're cute, I'll let ya make a final request. Any last words?"

The Yoshi was appalled momentarily at the Kritter's flirting, but then a sudden light bulb went off in her head. "Order a pizza."


	59. Outside Help

Chapter 59: Outside Help

"What?"

"You heard me," Chris smirked, "get me the phone, and let me order a pizza."

The Kritter shrugged, and tossed her the phone, "Pff, whatever. Like some pizza delivery boy's gonna save ya." He then left the two, and started barking orders at the other Kritters to lift and move things around.

Drible shot a confused look at the Yoshi, "Christie, I don't think it is the proper time to order a pizza."

"No," she unraveled her tongue, and started pressing the buttons on the phone. "O'm gunna thry and fone your brofer…"

"What?"

Chris pulled her tongue back as the phone started ringing on the other end. "I said I'm gonna call your brother. Doesn't he deliver pizzas?"

Drible blinked, realizing what she had in mind, "Let me answer."

"Oh?"

"There's a special passcode that I use to inform my brother of danger. The phone was picked up on the other end, with someone answering to which Drible replied, "May I have an extra small triple cheese pizza with extra mushrooms?"

Meanwhile, as the pizza place…

A Koopa picked up the phone, "Huh….uh, yeah sure we'll have it out in 15 minutes." Turning his head, he called back to the chef, "Hey! Extra Small Triple Cheese."

Dryden had heard these words has he walked into the place, rolling his bike inside, "Extra Small Triple Cheese….that means…." he looked up to the order counter, "Hey, lemme deliver that one! 

Back at the castle…

"How soon does your bro usually get here?" Chris asked Drible.

"With that secret code? It's not going to be any longer than five."

Meanwhile…

Dryden was pedaling as fast as he could on the delivery bike towards Daisy's castle, "What the heck? That was the emergency pizza order. Something's definitely wrong at the castle."

Eventually, Daisy's castle would slowly come into view, leaving Dryden stoned with shock at what he was seeing "What…" Slowly coming to a stop, the Dry Bones would see a massive amount of Kritters-practically an army inside Daisy's castle and raiding through her things. Outside, there were a few who were standing guard to make sure no one got in or out. "Hm…"

They were heavily armed as well. There was no way Dryden was getting them free without some sort of tactic. "Hm…" he rolled his bike towards the front gates. "I'm gonna have to figure out some sorta way to distract them." With a slow creak, he pushed the front gate open, and began walking along the path to the door. None of the Kritters payed him any attention, as they had known someone was ordering a pizza.

"Whew…" he stepped inside through the main doors, carrying the pizza along with him. "Guys…?"

"Psst, over here!" Drible called for his brother.

"Dawg?" Dryden quickly ran over to them, "Yo, what happened here, guys?"

"Long story," Chris rolled her eyes, "Just get this rope off of us, please."

"Mind giving me a short version, then?" Dryden obliged, using his bone blade to cut through the ropes that restrained them.

As Drible was set free, he went ahead to explain, "Basically, some Kritters from the Island of Kong have overrun the castle and are stealing everything that belongs to Madam Daisy."

"Yeah," Chris said as she stood up, "And there's way too many of 'em. Can't do jack with them in our way."

"Why don't ya just call the soldiers?" Dryden suggested.

Chris shook her head, "Won't do any good. They placed the barracks on lockdown and the soldiers are trying to break out as we speak. For now, we're on our own."

"Hm...alright, and where's the princess?"

Drible then spoke up, "No answer on her cell phone. I fear she is in danger."

"Pff, Daisy can take care of herself," Chris stated, "what we need to do, is make sure that we keep this castle protected."

Dryden nodded, "Alright. But what are we gonna do? If there's so many, then how are we gonna handle them all?" 

"Alright look. This is how it's about to go down," Chris started forming a plan, "I'm gonna sneak out, and try and get the soldiers unstuck from lockdown. You two are gonna get to their leader, and hold him hostage. But before you can get there, you have to figure out some way to distract most of the other workers."

Drible blinked, "And...just how are we meant to do that?"

"Make some noise, put something valuable in the open, set a trap," Chris rattled off her ideas, and shrugged, "I dunno, just do _something_ , understand?"

"We got it," Dryden replied, "don't worry about a thing."

"Good." Chris turned around, and drew her mini-cannon, "Now get moving!" She blazed the room, running quickly, and quietly out of the castle towards her barracks.

Meanwhile, the two Dry Bone brothers were left alone, with Drible a tad worried now that the captain of the guard had left them to fend for themselves. "Um...are you sure we can do this?"

Dryden put his arm around his brother's neck to console him, "Don't worry, bruh…" he then looked outside the window at his delivery bike that was carrying more pizzas he would have to deliver later. "...I got a plan."


	60. Make A Choice

Chapter 60: Make A Choice

"Huff….huff….huff…" Daisy panted slowly, sweat dripping from her face, and having drenched her clothes. The entire time, she had been busy locked in a strenuously taxing brawl that had left her tired and almost dropping from exhaustion on the ground. She was riddled with scratches and bruises along her form, but what seemed to take a toll on her was the sheer amount of stamina she had expended. "You...you….you suck…"

Her opponent was the cloaked figure from before who had met with King Boo at Fizz E's soda bar. A hefty chortle came from him as he stood across from her in the Endless Flower Plains. "Haha! You're so gullible, and easy to trick. No wonder King B. told me to come after you. You're weak."

"No...you...don't…" Daisy held up her fists in a paltry effort, "Come on….pillowcase...fight me…or bring me Tiny Kong." 

The cloaked figure simply laughed at her pathetic attempt to try and threaten him. "Oh no no no no. On the contrary, little princess. You see, I have bigger plans than simply taking you out. But first of all….do you know who I am?"

"A dead piece of crap?" Daisy managed a weak chuckle.

"No! I am a King," another laugh came from him, "A King with plans to dominate your land with no mercy, and bring that fool Bowser to his knees!"

"So...who are you again?"

"Uh-how dare you?" The figure retorted, "I am royalty, and you don't even bother to care who I am?"

Daisy shook her head, "Not even a little."

"Rrrgh! Let me show you!" His cloak was off in a flash, revealing a massive Kremling with a very round figure. One of his eyes was bloodshot, and he had a thin crown on his head, "It is I, King K. Rool! And with that little Kong girl in my possession, you will have no choice but to submit."

"...What…"

"You see," the Kremling King went on to explain, "I had a part of my army mess with DK's bananas. I knew of his past connections with you mainlanders, and knew he would eventually narrow it down to you." He chuckled, "Tiny is useless, and she would have to be left on her own. Therefore, she had to come to you. Then, after I learned of where you resided from King Boo, I had the other part of my army ransack your castle, and take all of what they could while you took your brought your tight little skimpy shorts wearing behind all the way down here." He smirked at her, "You'll make the perfect trophy."

"Ew!" Daisy almost gagged, "No way, sicko!"

"Silence!" Rool growled as one of his minions fired a cannon at Daisy, causing her to fall over from the blast with a yelp.

"Ah!" She landed on her back, holding her arms against her abdomen as she writhed in pain, "Ow…" Slowly, she got onto her knees. She would've been on all fours were it not for her holding her abdomen out of pain.

"Now, as I was saying," Rool continued, "I know how DK gets when members of his family or close friends are harmed. And he will be very furious if he finds out that you let Tiny Kong fall into your personal lake and didn't come to her rescue in time!" He pointed to a cage in the distance that held the female Kong above the lake.

"Wh-what…?" Daisy tried to shout back, but the strain in her midsection made it difficult to speak at all, "You wouldn't…"

"Oh, I would. Unless of course…" Rool smirked, "You were smart enough to let me take over and give her back."

Upon hearing those words, Daisy bit her lip. Never before in her life had she thought she would be caught in a situation such as this. Thoughts raced around in her mind as she tried to figure out what she should do, but she remained silent to try and focus.

However, King K. Rool's speaking would interrupt that focus as he walked over to her. "Now...here is what the reality of the current circumstances are…" he stood over her, "You can be bull headed, and lose not only Tiny Kong, but your reputation as a princess for letting her fall into the water and not coming to her aid. Or, you can be my queen….and I can take you away from all of this. All you have to do is give me an answer."

At this point, Daisy was trying her best to hold back her tears as she tried to find an answer to the dilemma she was faced with. "...No…..No…." Her thoughts would once again be interrupted as she felt the sharp, unkempt nails of King K. Rool's claw upon her face.

He placed his claw gently around her, cupping her chin as he stared into her eyes, "What will it be?"


	61. Thick And Cheesy Ways

Chapter 61: Tricky And Cheesy Ways

Daisy stared at King K. Rool, eyes drooping with fear and sadness as she mulled over her options. "Alright…I've made up my mind."

"Good. Now what shall it be?" Rool pestered her for an answer.

Daisy spoke slowly, as if the words were a scorpion on her tongue, "I…"

Meanwhile at the castle…

Chris had made her way towards the military barracks and was trying her best to pick the lock that was used to keep her soldiers inside. "Come on…"

Dryden and his brother Drible meanwhile, were carrying the rest of the pizzas from his scooter towards the door. "Are you sure this will work?" Drible asked.

Dryden gave his nervous brother a confident grin, "Ey, there's other guys who can fulfill the delivers. Plus, I never shoot for Employee of the Month anyway."

"Do you even know if Kremling like pizza?"

"Pff," Dryden scoffed, "Everyone loves pizza. Even if you're lactose intolerant you've eaten pizza with artificial cheese before. I mean, come on. It's one of the many national foods of the Sarasaland,"

Drible blinked. He hadn't realized that pizza had become a national food-of Sarasaland no less. "Really? Since when? I don't remember when Madam Daisy signed that in."

"According to the guy that runs the pizza place," Dryden opened the door, letting them inside, "when Daisy was a baby she had a pizza party at Don's Incredible Pizza for her 4th birthday. She loved it so much that she declared pizza as her favorite food. To honor this, she made her first ever official, 'decree' if you will, that pizza would be Sarasaland's national food."

Drible blinked, remembering all the way back to when he hosted that very party for the little baby princess. "...Oh yes, that is right. I had forgotten since I was….a tad sick from eating too much cake."

"Sick?" Dryden snickered, "You gotta tell me about that later, but for now…"

By now, the two brothers had made their way towards the storage room down below with the pizzas from Dryden's scooter. Now, all they had to do was put their plan into effect,

"So, brother…" Drible muttered, following his twin into the storage room, "What are we to do here?"

Dryden placed the pizza boxes down, "Just place the boxes down, and wait for it." He then exited the storage room, beckoning Drible to follow. "C'mon."

After setting the boxes of pizza down, Drible left the door open, and followed. He still was unsure of what his brother was talking about. "Dryden, please. What are you getting at?"

"Shh." Dryden put his finger over his beak, shushing his brother, and hid behind a corner. "Just watch…" he pointed down the hallway.

Instinctively, Drible took shelter behind his brother to await whatever he had in mind to take action. After a few moments, they would hear a loud rumbling in the distance. Eventually, it became clearer to their range of earshot that it was stampeding footsteps running through the halls of the castle!

Drible blinked, and nearly shouted, "What th-"

"Shhh!" Dryden covered his brother's mouth.

Before they could exchange anymore words, the pack of Kritters that had broke into the castle came a-running on down. You'd swear they were the next contestant on a game show or something. But one thing was for sure, the plan was right…..on the money.

Both brothers fell silent. Though, Drible with anxiety seeing the massive reptilian creatures flock to the room, while Dryden meanwhile was excited as a Bouncing Music Note. In a flash, all the Kritters had made it into the room where they started devouring the pizza, to which Dryden smirked, seizing this opportunity.

"Now!" Dryden ran over to the door to the storage room, slamming it closed, and locking it. In a matter of moments, the Kritters were trying to force the door back open, "Drible quick! Get some brick blocks!"

"Oh, um...yes!" Drible quickly spring into action, and pushed a block in front of the door. "Here we are."

"Grab another!" Dryden shouted, still forcing against the door.

Drible nodded, and quickly grabbed another brick block that was floating in the air nearby. "Here!" He placed it on top of the first one. "That should do it…"

Dryden wiped his forehead in relief. "Whew…" He backed off of the door, and looked at his brother, "Now let's go help out Chris."

"Right," Drible agreed.

The two brothers made their way back upstairs where they started moving towards the front door to find the Yoshi. "Alright, let's go find her-"

He was then cut off by the front door bursting open with King K. Rool walking through. Behind him was Daisy…

"Madam Daisy!" Drible shouted, "Where have you been?"

Daisy looked down, not answering, to which Drible questioned her again. "...Madam Daisy."

"Your 'madam,'" Rool interjected, "is mine now. She's gladly submitted into becoming my queen." He stroked one of his claws along the side of her cheek to her hair, "Isn't that right?"

Daisy didn't respond. She was clearly embarrassed about something. Her clothes looked tattered and stretched. There was a few bruises along her body, and claw marks along the back of her shirt. Something was definitely wrong, and the Dry Bone brothers could see it.

"Alright, cut the crap, man." Dryden scowled, "She don't want you. Not someone so gross, and...prick-ish."

"Ha!" Rool laughed, "On the contrary. She's _more_ than willing to be my bride. Isn't that right...Daisy?" he looked at the flower princess.

Daisy gulped, knowing what was targeted at the back of her head. However, she didn't answer, as if she was trying to take her time with it…

"Ahem?" Rool urged her on to answer.

"Shut it, fatty!" Dryden yelled up at him, "She don't answer to you!"

"Actually, she does. She's _my_ queen!" Rool yelled back.

By now, Drible had fell silent. He didn't know exactly what to say in a situation like this. The mere idea that Daisy had given herself up to this miscreant was enough to shock him into quietness.

"Guys…." Daisy sighed, "It hurts me more than anything to say this but…"


	62. Fiery Flower

Chapter 62: Fiery Flower

"Madam Daisy…" Drible said slowly, trying to rationalize what exactly was going on here. "This...what are you…"

Daisy was about to speak, but was interrupted by Rool once more, "Silence! She does not answer to you! She answers to me now!" With a devious grin, he looked over at Daisy, "Isn't that right?"

The brunette princess didn't respond. Instead, she looked around. The castle was a mess from the fight Chris had with the Kritters, and everything was either broken, shattered, or in pieces. Of course, this didn't sit well with her in the slightest, and made something almost click within her mind. "Riiiight," she responded emptily.

"See? She's mine now!" Rool said boldly.

Drible looked at Daisy's face. She had a low, sad expression that somehow conveyed a subtle yet noticeable tone of anger building up. He knew that face all too well, despite how uncommon it was for her to get to such a point.

Before anyone could say anything else, Daisy would speak up again, "...did you do all this to my place?"

"Hah! You won't need it by the time I'm done!" Rool smirked widely, "I have plans for this place. It's too...girly and orange. Oh, and the servants are all fired. I have my own loyal Kritter army to help us." He picked up Drible by the head, "Which means you get to take a vacation. _Permanently_."

"I dare say not!" Drible pleaded defensively, "I've been working here since before you were born! How dare you even _think_ of replacing me?!"

Dryden was about to jump at the chance to protect his brother, but was stopped when he heard an eerily solemn voice from Daisy.

"Put. Him. Down. _Now._ "

Rool looked over at Daisy whose eyes looked like they could scare the white off of a Boo, "...Are you disagreeing with me?"

She started tapping her foot, "I'm not gonna say it again."

"Oh, so you think you can disagree with me?" Rool narrowed his eyes at her, "That's cute."

"2 seconds." She said simply.

"One more word, and you will be punished." The Kremling replied, as Daisy took a step. In a quick phase of reaction, he threw a punch with his free hand, and punched her right in the gut with enough force to send her backwards. "What did I say about disobeying my orders?"

Daisy didn't grunt, complain, or say a word when she was hit. Instead, she looked down at the ground, face hidden from everyone else in the room.

King K. Rool smirked, "Come now. Be a good girl, and follow King K's orders." In response, Daisy would get up, and walk over to him silently, and still looking down at the ground. "Aw, what's the matter? Can that petite princess body of yours not handle a simple punch?"

At the insult, Daisy simply twitched once, knowing exactly what she was going to do next, but kept silent.

"Good. Oh, and you won't be needing this anymore…" he picked her crown from her head. "This is nothing but an outdated sham of a gaudy image of your former self." With that, he tossed Drible aside, and her crown into the fireplace. "Now, how's about we-"

Once Drible was thrown, a loud _slam_ echoed throughout the entire room, and everyone's eyes snapped at attention to whatever it was, trying to pinpoint where it had came from. The Dry Bone brothers looked up to see Daisy with her fist lodged into Rool's midsection, and their jaws dropped-literally, off of their faces.

King K. Rool had barely enough time to register what was happening to him, and that is when he realized the ever growing pain in his lower body. It had come on so fast that he was speechless. He felt as if his heart had stopped and his head was swimming from just the single strike. All he could do was breathe out in small intervals of shock as he looked at Daisy.

The redheaded princess had an emotionless expression. She showed no anger, no cockiness, nothing. After a moment, she spoke, staring him right in the eye, "...It's funny how you think you can get away with this." The pressure of her fist increased, nearing his bones, "Destroying my stuff, touching my crown, and daring to attack my friends this way?" She closed her eyes and a small grin grew on her face, "Hm...I wouldn't become the queen to your little busted flush behind anyway. But instead of a long winded spiel on how much you suck, I'm just gonna…"

With the same soft smile, she lifted him up, and slammed him onto the ground with just her fist, causing even more suffering for him along his spine and up to his head. From there, she placed a hand around his neck, grabbing him with force while crushing down.

By now, the Kritters had broken out of the room in which the brothers had trapped them in. A quick look to the right and they saw Daisy, now with her knee firmly pressed against Rool's back, pressing him against the wall., and holding both of his arms in each hand. "What the?!" Their leader shouted and the entire army came running over. "Boss!"

A sudden clicking sound got their attention, with Chris holding a mounted blaster upon her shoulder, pointed directly at the group of Kritters. "Go on, try me." Whirring of it charging up was building as Chris cackled, "Take one step and you're sleeping with Fish Bones!"

"...Boss?" The head Kritter looked over to its leader, who was still pinned against the wall by Daisy.

"Aw, snizzity snap, yo…" Dryden grinned, and faced the Kritters, wielding his bone naginata blade, "Come on, who's gonna try us?"

"As much as I abhore fighting…" Drible straightened his tie, and stepped forward to the Kritters, "I must ask you all to leave the premises before you get hurt."

"...You can fight?" Dryden blinked with curiosity.

"Who do you think taught Madam Daisy to defend herself?" Drible asked back.

Dryden blinked again, "...For how long?"

"Since she was an infant. Why?"

Once more, Dryden's jaw dropped off of his face and onto the floor. This also sent shock into King K. Rool, who was still stuck against the wall.

"...What?"

"Durn, right." Daisy pushed him against the wall to cause more pain, "And don't even _think_ of having your folks attack." She looked over to the Kritters, "Ya'll wanna end up like your boss here? Huh? DO YOU?!"

Every single Kritter shook a little, but they weren't going to be brought down so easily. They looked ready to spring into action to retaliate, but they were quickly stopped by their King's words, "No...pack it up...get out of here now!"

"But Boss-"

"These people are insane! Get out of here now!" Rool ordered, and his troops quickly followed through on it, retreating from the castle.

"Good." Daisy grabbed him by the neck, glaring right into his eyes again, "And if I ever catch you in or around my kingdom again, I'll come down there, and whoop that your sorry behind myself, all the way back to where you came from."

"Fine…just let me go…stinkweed."

"What did you just say?"

"Oh nothing."

Daisy simply responded with a lighthearted smile, "Of course." And without warning, tossed him out of the castle, sending him rolling down the hill and to her guards, who promptly kicked him out for the second time, off the castle grounds.. "Bye!"

Dryden leaned out of the window and shouted afterwards, "And lose some weight!"

"Madam Daisy are you alright?" Drible asked her.

Daisy looked around at the mess and mayhem that had surrounded her castle, and shook her head. "I've had worse days," she chuckled.

"I'll send for the cleanup crew, princess." Chris saluted her.

"Thanks, Chris. Also, good job on that surprise tactic. Heck, all of ya'll did a good job." She took a deep breath, "Excuse me, guys." She stepped outside through the front door to find Tinky Kong sitting on a nearby rock, writing in her diary, "Yo...you alright? It's safe to come in now."

Tiny looked up, "Oh, alright. Thanks for saving me and stuff, by the way."

"Yeah, no problem," Daisy replied, motioning for her to come inside, "come on in."

With a nod, Tiny obliged, and started walking inside. However, in the back of her mind, something still didn't sit right with her. _"And so I bring trouble to Daisy's place. Such is the life of a danger magnet…"_


	63. R&R Not

Chapter 63: R&R Not

A few days after the events that took place when King K. Rool tried to cause mayhem, everything was turning around. Tiny Kong had made herself at home in one of the guest bedrooms, and almost everything in Daisy's castle had been replaced after it was destroyed. It had all managed to simmer down in the last few days, and everything was nice and quiet.

Daisy was busy napping in her bedroom upstairs after having so much work to do. King K. Rool's assault had caused a lot of damage to the surrounding area, which in turn had caused some complaints from the citizens. But as always, Daisy worked herself beyond the bone to make things right, and as always, worked too hard and dropped from exhaustion. So, with a little convincing, Drible set his princess down for a nap in her bed.

Meanwhile, that day, Tiny Kong was sitting in the living room, scribbling away in her diary as she always did. _"Ugh. I hate being a liability to everyone around me. It's like everywhere I go I either end up being captured or just end up being plain useless. I mean, what. There was that one time when I was younger that I helped out, and that's it. From then on it's always just been me being uselessly captured."_ With a sigh, she froze once more. Her head hung low with shame and frustration.

" _What does it take…"_

Simultaneously, a certain Koopaling would be was walking past the castle. _"Stupid errand run. Why do I have to come back here off all places? And he expects me to apologize?!"_ Much to his chagrin, Ludwig Von Koopa was not only forced to run more errands in Sarasaland that day, but if he did not apologize to Princess Daisy for the trouble he caused, then he would not be able to return. _"Old fool. Just because we're neutral to each other does not mean I have to like her at all. Ugh...but how could she not even care about her best friend being captured. Some friend she is…"_

As he walked closer to the castle, he approached the guards….

Back inside, Tiny Kong kept writing away until she was interrupted by Drible. "Um..Miss Kong. Are you alright?"

"Ah!" The sudden voice made her jump and quickly closed her diary, clutching it tightly against her chest. "Yeah. Everything's cool."

"Are you sure?" Drible asked with concern, "You sound a bit worried over something."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly before placing her diary on the couch, and locking it with a special lock it had on the cover. "Mind if I get something to eat?"

"Say no more." Drible walked towards the kitchen.

Tiny Kong followed him, "So I guess once DK gets the news on his end, I'll have to leave. Which kinda blows, because this place is pretty cool. Heck, Daisy's a downright butt-kicker."

Drible held the door to the kitchen open to allow her to go through first. "She is. Mainly because she got it from somewhere."

"Who? It had to have been someone who did karate movies before," she said with wonder, "It's like...how is she so freakin' good with her moves? She didn't even have to move that much!"

The bony koopa butler knew exactly what the reason was, but decided not to dwell on it. "Some things either come naturally or with time. But I digress. What would you like to eat?"

Tiny gigged, "You're not gonna offer me bananas like some stereotype?"

"I don't enjoy that," Drible replied, "People shouldn't be pegged by what people think they are. But rather who they are." 

She giggled again, "Just kiddin'. I just want some nachos."

"Ah, is that all?" Drible said with surprise, "Don't worry yourself. I'll make them for you."  
"Are ya sure?" Tiny scratched her head, "I mean, I know how to make-woah!" she was cut off by Drible pushing her towards the door from behind.

"I said don't worry yourself. I'll handle it for you." By now, he had pushed her fully out of the kitchen, "You go back to your little fun times."

"But-" Before she could retaliate, the door was closed in her face. "...Well alright then…" With a sigh, she walked over to the couch. _"Welp. No one's letting me do anything for myself. Again."_ This felt like a great opportunity to write something down, so she picked up her diary….except...it wasn't there. "Huh?" Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she saw her diary was gone. "AHHH!"

Drible quickly burst from the kitchen to her side, "Miss Kong, what is wrong?"

"My diary...I left it right here and now it's gone." She started biting her nails, "Thisisbad. Thisisbad. Thisisbad! All of my private stuff is in there!" 

"Miss Kong, calm yourself, please." Drible tried to comfort her, "There's no one else here, so whoever it was can't have gone far."

"We gotta tell Daisy!"

Drible shook his head, "She needs her rest as she's been overworked for the past week. Let me handle this." Wtih a zip, Drible had suddenly started searching around random places. The Kitchen? No. Sofa? No. Upstairs? No. Hallway? No. It was official: It had to have been stolen.

After fifteen minutes of searching, Tiny shouted, "Anything?!"

"Shhh!" Drible urged her to stay quiet as he walked over to her, "Nothing. We'll have to search for it."

The Kong growled to herself as her eyes started flaring, "Ooh, if anyone dares read a single line from that I'll rip out their-!"

She would be cut off by Drible once more, "There is no reason to get violent, Miss Kong. I assure you we'll find it."

There was a knock at the main door, to which Drible looked up at. "Excuse me." With a quick beeline, he ran over to answer it, "Hello?"

Standing there was Ludwig Von Koopa, "Um, yes. I've come to-"

"YOU!" Tiny Kong looked at the door, and in a flash was over there, and grabbed Ludwig by the neck, "You little piece of sniveling perverted idiot turtle crap!"

"Wh-what?!" Ludwig was surprised at being grabbed up by someone whom he had never met before.

"DON'T YOU 'WHAT' ME YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING DIARY STEALING WASTE OF SPACE!" Tiny Kong yelled at him.

"It wasn't me you fool!" Ludwig shouted, almost out of breath from her grabbing him so roughly, "I just came here to see Daisy I swear!"

"Let him go, Miss Kong. It seems he is telling the truth," Drible said.

Tiny didn't want to comply, but seeing as she didn't have any evidence, she dropped the Koopaling to the ground, "Sorry, just...I heard about those Koopa things last time I was here. I don't trust 'em one bit. Especially not this one with his goofy cotton candy hair. I doubt Daisy even trusts you."

"Excuse you?!" Ludwig shouted back, "How dare you insult the great Ludwig Von Koopa?!"

"Look, whatever. Just get outta my way." Tiny pushed him as she walked down the castle road, "I got a diary thief to find."

Drible looked at Ludwig, "Madam Daisy is asleep, so please come back later," he followed after Tiny Kong.

Ludwig was now alone. He sighed. He very well knew what the best thing for him to do. _"She doesn't trust me? Oh I'll get her to trust me alright…"_ he cackled to himself as he left the castle. 


	64. Seriously?

Chapter 64: ...Seriously?

After going through a couple warp pipes, Daisy had finally reached her destination: Peach's Castle. "Oh joy and a bucket of knee blasting bullet bill blasters," the brunette princess groaned to herself, then closed her eyes and shook her head. She was well aware that if her best friend needed her help, that she should at least try and put on a good face for her. Besides, what's the worst that could happen, right? "Ok…" A few deep breaths, and she walked up the cobblestone stairs to the big red castle door.

 _Knock Knock_

A moment. Then the blonde princess in pink herself answered the door. "Oh, Daisy! I need your help!" She was disheveled, looking as if she had been in a kart accident. Her hair was out of place, and she didn't even have any makeup on. Something was seriously wrong, and Daisy could see it.

"Uhhh…" Daisy cleared her throat, and took her friend's hands with her own, looking into her eyes softly. "Just tell me what's wrong, hun."

Peach held her hands, but wasn't even making eye contact. Instead, she was looking at the ground as she made her response. "Well...it's…"

"...Yes?"

"I'VE LOST THE KEY TO THE ITEM RELAY CENTER!"

Daisy blinked once. Then twice. What rang against her ears almost seemed alien to her with how much disbelief was going through her mind. "...What?"

Peach sobbed softly. "The item relay center...it's where all of our items are concepted before the blueprints are taken to Toad's and Wario's factories...but I've lost the key!"

Daisy's eyes grew tense. "So you mean to tell me….the place that directly funds the main item distribution center for…ninety-nine percent of our world...you lost the _one_ way to access it."

Of course, it was hard to swallow when Daisy put it in such a blunt terminology. But regardless, she knew she couldn't hide it. "...Yes."

This did not sit well with Daisy. As anyone would know, items is the main thing that keeps the Mario World intact. Without them, item shops would go out of business, culinary artistry would go bland, and there would be nothing for anyone to use to defend against Bowser. And Daisy knew this. She started to grow a tad more perturbed by the second, but she didn't let it get to her.

"Hey, it's alright. We just need to retrace your steps," Daisy suggested with an eager tone, "Come on. Where were you when you last had it?"

Peach choked up for a second, and took a step back. "Uhm...well, you see. It's a funny story actually…"

"'Funny'?" Daisy folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. Usually when Peach had a "funny" story to tell, it was one full of beating around-no, _away_ from the bush. So naturally, this set the flower princess on edge with skepticism over the legitimacy of Peach's tale. "I'm listenin'."

Peach began, "Well, I was at Fizz E's and…."

"..." Daisy had that look in her eye. A look of complete and utter confusion mixed with anger and sadness. In essence, her eyes were narrowed at Peach, giving her a look flatter than the face of a Block. "You were at his place _again?!"_

"Hey! Thanksgiving took a lot out of me, ok?" Peach quickly replied in defense. "The stress of cooking so much gets to you, not to mention the whole Thanksgiving Party I had with Mario and Luigi…."

At this, Daisy closed her eyes, and held her hands up as if Peach was going too fast. "Woah. Woah. Woah. You had a Thanksgiving thing and didn't _invite_ me?"

This caught Peach off guard, making her blush. "W-well...you see….I thought you were busy having your own…"

"Yeah, I was, but you could've at least called me up and asked." Daisy sighed, looking away, "Drible and Chris can handle things just fine when I'm not there…"

"Oh...well...I'm sorry," Peach frowned.

Daisy scoffed under her breath, but again, didn't let it get to her. Instead, she focused on the priority: Getting that key back. "It's cool. But we need to focus on getting that key. So you were at E's place, right?"

Peach nodded.

"Ok, well then let's just head over there, and start looking," Daisy said, managing a smile. Inside, however, she was completely disgusted. Her main concern was wondering how and why Peach could have lost the key while at the soda bar. Not to mention the overall shady atmosphere of the area around it.

"Alright...thanks, Daiz," Peach nodded, and snapped her fingers. In an instant, her hair was back in place, makeup and dress on, and looking as good as she usually did.

Daisy blinked. "...Wait huh? Why didn't you just do that beforehand?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly in the mood before," Peach replied, "But now, I feel like we can do this." She shot a cheeky grin at Daisy as she walked out past her.

"Grrr…." Yet again, Daisy suppressed her emotions, taking deep breaths. Now simply was not the time or the place to act upon them. Despite being aware of this, she couldn't help but ball her fist slightly. _"How can she be so….?"_

Her thoughts were broken by Peach calling out to her, "Hey! You coming? Oh, and don't forget. Change into your dress. The guys down there prefer women in dresses. It could make this easier," she giggled and started making a stride towards the front gate.

At this point, Daisy was gritting her teeth slightly, grumbling under her breath. Having to wear her dress was only for more formal events such as meetings, or Kart races when she was using a kart. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but wonder what Peach meant by that. _"Prefer women in dresses...what kind of place is this?"_ rang in her head as she followed her pink clad friend. _"I'm really starting to question the safety of this kingdom with her at the head."_

The brunette princess sighed. Regardless of what was going on, she needed to help Peach find that key, or Sarasaland could be stuck in economic ruin from not getting items. So she made no hesitation, and followed Peach. _"This just turned into sixty-four bits of trouble…"_


	65. Bittersweet

Chapter 65: Bittersweet

Making their way down the streets of Mushroom City, the princesses could see Fizz E's Soda Bar just ahead. Peach was moving at a calm pace, humming a melodious tune to herself. Meanwhile Daisy, arms folded, was walking behind her and looking at the ground with a more worried expression.

" _...What would happen if that key was lost for good….and if someone found out what it was for…."_ She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat as beads of sweat ran down her skin. _"C'mon dangit. Don't lose hope. Fizz E. has to have some sort of lost and found. People who've had too much soda tend to lose things often, right?"_ Try as she might, reassuring herself was hard. Soon, she found no other option except to simply take a deep breath, and suck it up. Now was not the time to be scared. Daisy knew she had to find this key if she didn't want her or Peach's Kingdoms to lost commercial value. Worst case scenario: Bowser buys everything out.

"Brrr…" The mere idea of that happening sent a chill up Daisy's spine, but she didn't let it get to her. Right now, they had both made it to the Soda Bar. "Well, here it is."

"I'll go in first," Peach suggested, and started to open the door. "After all, I think they'd handle the 'Good Cop' approach better," she giggled and stepped in.

This left Daisy looking on with a flat, confused expression of doubt. _"What do you even know about Cop anything?"_ A roll of the eyes and Daisy silently followed. As usual, after they entered through the massive wooden double doors, they would be greeted with smooth blue carpets, and tables on all sides. At each table there were varying numbers of guests and varying species as well. Through, most of them were Toads-college boys to be exact, Fizz E's usual demographic due to how close the schools were to his place.

Peach walked along the carpet, passing by the wooden tables, chairs and booths, waving to her subjects. The place wasn't massive, but certainly sizable to seat around 150 to 200 guests. At the back was the counter with seats shaped like mushrooms-literal toadstools. All along the walls were black and white photos of the very first soda bar that was in this exact spot over fifty years ago to pay homage to the original owner-Froth E. This caught Daisy's eyes as she looked around the place. If there was one thing she enjoyed, it was looking back over the history of what made others famous and put them in their current place of stability.

"Oooh…" Daisy was in awe as she eyed up the photographs on the wall. "Hey, Peachy-you notice-..." She tried to get the attention of her pink clad friend, but by the time she could manage to turn her head around, Peach was already sitting on a toadstool at the counter.

"Hellooooo?" Peach called out, ringing the bell on the counter, "Is Mr. E there?"

And of course, Daisy rolled her eyes. She had been ignored yet again. "Ugh…" But also yet again, she was aware of what the time and place was for certain things. So she simply opted to pull up a seat next to Peach at the counter. Though, she was much less cheerful, and more disgusted. Resting her left elbow on the table, she rest her chin on her hand while she placed her right arm on the counter, tapping her fingers to the slow jazz that was playing in the background.

At Peach's calling, a blue Toad walked out to the counter. It was hard to tell, but he was much older than the other Toads that were in the bar. Unlike most Toads, his voice wasn't raspy either. Instead it was more smooth and deep than high pitched. As well, he wasn't smiling much, his default expression was his eyes closed, and arms folded, as if he was busy thinking.

"What can I do ya for, princess?" he asked, rubbing a glass with a rag.

Peach looked over the menu that was in front of her, "Hm...I think i would like…" One of the menu items caught her eye, "Ooh, what's this?" 

In response, Daisy huffed, "We're not here to order drinks. We're here to figure out where you lost that item." She looked over at the Toad, "Psst. You got a lost and found here, right?"

"Maybe," he replied, not looking up. "Why?"

"Well…" Peach slowly started speaking, "I um….sort of...lost something a teensy _weensy_ bit important."

"Ugh." Daisy rolled her eyes, and decided to cut to the chase to speed things up, "It's a key to a certain place that we can't disclose. It's white key with a handle shaped like a coin. Think you might've seen it here?"

"Hm…" Fizz E rubbed his chin, and started thinking. "Let me check for you. The lost and found here is pretty big. People lose things all the time here, and we have filing cabinets dedicated to whatever's left behind."

"Why do so many things go missing?" Peach inquired.

The Toad looked over the counter to a booth near the other end of the place where several other Toads of assorted colors were having a soda drinking contest. These were the college guys the girls saw as they walked in. "Let's just say some people can't hold their soda," Fizz tsk'd under his breath. "Too much carbonation in your system does things to you. Makes you forgetful."

Daisy shuddered, "Jeez...I know I won't be drinking a lot of soda then. But for now, we need to see if you have that key."

"Right," Fizz nodded, "I'll do a check of the lost and found and get back to you real quick."

And with that, the Toad walked out through a door nearby marked, "Employees Only." Once he did, Peach and Daisy sat and waited. It would be a long wait for them both, and soon, Peach was sitting there with her head resting on her arms on the counter. Daisy, however, was still up, and waiting worriedly for whether or not Fizz had what they were looking for. Unfortunately, in the back of her mind, she still couldn't shake how inanely foolish it was for Peach to have lost it here. Yet, at the same time, another part of her was trying to pass it off as an honest mistake. It was like an attorney trying to defend her clearly guilty friend, versus one trying to put her away. Needless to say, it wasn't easy for Daisy to try and rationalize, and the more she tried to understand it, the harder it seemed for her emotions to be controlled as easily.

" _What if the key is really lost. Or worse-what if she bet it away after drinking too much soda? …..No. She's my best friend….she's not stupid….is she?"_

"Ahem."

The voice of Fizz E, made both princesses snap out of their tiresome waiting, and Daisy out of her thoughts. _"Maybe that was a good thing,"_ Daisy thought before speaking aloud, "Oh didja find the thing?"

"Well...I have some good news and bad news," Fizz said slowly, increasing both of the princesses' interest. "The good news is, I found what you were looking for."

"...And the bad news?" Peach asked.

"Know where it is?" Daisy chimed in.

After a pause, and a sigh, the Toad relayed the information. "That's exactly it...I need you both to follow me."

Both princesses exchanged a look of confusion which quickly turned to fear. They got up, and followed Fizz to the back room. There was where the lost and found was located. It was an office with shelves loaded with an assortment of items ranging from Mushrooms and Stars to IDs and credit cards. The room was dimly lit with a single bulb dangling over the desk and chair. On said desk was a computer, notepad, and a nameplate with Fizz's name engraved on it. However, to the right, they would see scorch marks on the floor, and the wall slightly cracked.

"Woah…" Peach marveled at the different little trinkets that have been lost and looked them over.

Daisy, however, was more focused. "So what's the deal, E?"

"Notice the burn marks on the floor leading up to the damaged wall?" The Toad went over and sat in his desk chair.

"...Yeah, why?" Daisy eyed the burns and wall curiously.

Fizz sighed before speaking. "Some shady figure claimed it was his key to his treasure chest. I told him that I couldn't give it up without proof of ownership…." Another sigh came from him before he continued, "...and that's where it got bad. Brandishing some sorta fiery blade, he had my back against the wall, and gave me a choice. Either me, or my business. One had to go."

Daisy blinked. Her curiosity was fully piqued from the story she was hearing. "And…?"

"Naturally, I chose myself, because my family's soda business is more important to me," Fizz shook his head before looking up at the ceiling, "Turns out it didn't even matter. While he was distracting me with the choices, his folks swiped the key and I had fallen for it like an apple from a tree."

Peach turned to look at him, her expression cold and displeased. "...How dare they."

"Woah, woah, woah-calm your jets, Peachy." Daisy said with a calm tone that had a smidge of sarcasm.

"Sorry...just...if someone dares to harm my subjects, I take action." Peach said proudly.

" _The only action you take is sitting on your-"_ Daisy quickly shook her head, and put the thought out of her mind. She then looked over at Fizz E, "Go on."

"I've heard rumors of some captain somewhere. The legend of some guy that puts you in a no-win situation where you have to choose something, but then in reality the choices are just to distract you while his crew gets what he wants." Fizz explained.

"Dang…." Daisy let out a low whistle, "Sounds like the kinda guy from one of those horror movies."

Peach scoffed, "This is a simple matter. It's obvious someone like this has a troubled past and needs the right kind of influence to develop who he is and turn away from his life of wrongdoing." She wrapped an arm around her best friend, "And we're just the girls to do it."

Daisy wasn't as enthused, however. _"The only people you know how to influence are weak-minded-"_ Another shake of the head. _"Where are these thoughts coming from…?"_ She looked down at the ground.

Peach grew concerned for her, and nudged her, "Hey, Daiz? Hellooo? Earth to Daisy?"

"Oh, huh?" She snapped out of it and blinked, "Oh, uh...yeah. We just need to find out where he's at."

"I can help there," Fizz spoke up, "Before he left, he said something about...the jungle world. Methinks he plans to bury his stuff there."

"Alrighty!" Peach chirped, still holding onto Daisy, "Then we'll head over there lickety-split!"

"Uh...anything else we should know before we go there?" Daisy asked.

The Toad looked up for a moment, "If he catches you in one of his situational conundrums...don't."

"Don't…?" Peach tilted her head.

Fizz E folded his arms and repeated himself. "Don't."

"Gotcha," Daisy managed a grin, and got free of Peach's grip. "We'll be on our way then."

"And don't worry about that guy showing up again. We'll have reformed him into a more upstanding individual before you can blink! To the jungle pipe!" Peach announced and quickly left the office with an exasperated Daisy slowly following.

The thoughts slowly returned to Daisy's head as she followed her friend out. _"Focus...please...for a second."_

After they left, Fizz E walked back out to his counter at the soda bar, and sighed to himself. To the right, he looked over at a black and white photo of a Toad with a mustache, standing in front of a small soda stand. _"...forgive me grandpa."_


	66. Blistering Heat

Chapter 66: Blistering Heat

The next day, after getting the information from Fizz E, the princesses agreed to meet later at the pipe that led to the jungle world. It sounded simple enough. Getting to that jungle location, and find wherever this so called "Captain" was. Expectedly, it was easier said than done simply because of how huge the woods were, and how much time the princesses to to prepare themselves. Well, Peach mainly. Daisy was already waiting at the pipe for her friend, and looked at her watch.

"Ugh, where is she? It's almost noon." Knowing the jungle's humid climate, Daisy had already prepared. She wore her usual sports attire-her orange top and shorts along with her orange shoes. She also had a pack upon her back with supplies, and sprayed a hefty amount of bug spray onto herself. Now all she needed was for her pink friend to show up. "Wait….what the…"

In the distance, Daisy could see a massive pack coming towards her. That could mean only one thing. "Hey, Daisy! I'm here!" Peach called out in a singsong voice.

As Peach neared, Daisy's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she didn't say a word. Seeing all of the things her friend was carrying with her on her back was mind boggling. _"This is a search, not a camping trip,"_ Daisy thought. "Uhh...Peachy. Don'tcha think that's a liiiiittle too much?"

"Pff, no way." Peach giggled and looked at the pack on her back that was the size of her body. "It's just that you never can go anywhere without being prepared."

"...Right." Daisy replied slowly before walking over to the pipe. "Welp, let's get going then." Without another word, she dropped in, the pipe emitting its usual sound effect as she went down. Peach slowly followed after she managed to stuff her luggage down with her.

After a quick trip through the pipe, the girls landed in the jungle world (World 4 in some games), and Daisy took a look around. Sure enough, there was the poisonous purple river, piranha plants coming out of the ground, grass and leaves throughout the area, and tall trees concealing most of it. "Hm…alrighty, Peach. Let's get-" she cut herself off, looking at her friend. "What the heck are you wearing?"

Peach was busy putting on some sort of protective suit that looked a lot like a beekeeper's uniform-except pink of course. "This? It's just to defend against the nasty bugs in this place of course."

Daisy looked at Peach for a moment before grabbing the bridge of her nose. "Right. Anyway...let's get going." She turned, and started walking forward, with Peach following closely and humming a tune.

The girls started moving, and for what seemed like hours. It was a very thick jungle. And very well. In no time, the girls were both sweating like crazy, though Daisy made the smarter decision of wearing less clothing than Peach did. Peach's suit was making it hot for her. Like, _really_ hot. So much so that her makeup was running from all the sweat that had accumulated upon her face.

"So, Peachy-where do you think-ahh!" Daisy yelped, looking at her friend whose mascara and other makeup was running along her face. "Uh...girl, I think you should've skipped the makeup this morning."

"Why?" Peach was confused, and took out a pocket mirror to look at her face. "..." A shrill cry was let out from her as she looked at her face in the mirror. "AHHHH!"

"Shhh!" Daisy held her index finger in front of her lips. "Keep quiet! We could attract venus fire traps-or worse!"

"I'm...hideous!" Peach screamed, "I _have_ to fix this. Right _now._ " Without any hesitation, she dropped her pack on the ground, and dug through it, "Come on, come on…"

Meanwhile, Daisy folded her arms, and rolled her eyes. She was used to this kind of behavior from Peach, but this was ridiculous. "Ugh. Come on. You've been through the jungles like this with Mario, Luigi, and Toad before. Why is a problem all the sudden now?"

"Uch!" Peach scoffed as she tried to fix what was going on with her face in the small mirror. Hey! We usually don't spend this long in the jungles. We just clear through a level in less than three hundred seconds or so. We don't spend hours upon hours in here. And besides," she paused to re-apply lipstick, "you'd know what if feels like if you ever wore any."

Daisy raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing. Just saying that it's hard to stay this beautiful. You can't get this way overnight you know." Peach started to put things back.

This wasn't accepted by Daisy so easily, and it made her grab her nose again. _"All those stupid chemicals on your face are just a lie."_ She blinked, and shook her head again, utterly confused by what rang in her mind once more. _"Why do I keep thinking these things?"_ "Ahem, uh, anyway. Are we ready to move now?"

Peach slipped back into her suit, and smiled at her brunette friend. "Ready!"

"Whew. Finally." Daisy huffed and resumed her trek forward, before stumbling over. A massive rumble shook the earth beneath their feet, making it hard to stand, very akin to an earthquake! "Wo-o-o-o-a-a-a-h!"

"Whaaa-a-a-a-a-a!" Peach squealed, "Wha-a-a-a-at's going ooooon?!"

As soon as it came, it was gone. The quake stopped, and the ground was solid once more. Daisy dusted herself off, and went over to Peach, offering her her hand. "You alright?"

Peach accepted, using Daisy's hand to stand up. "Yeah, I'm good. B-but what was that?"

"Hmm...I have a hunch, but I could be wrong," Daisy said thoughtfully, "But we better keep going."

"Good idea…" Peach replied softly.

And so they did. They kept moving along the jungle's trail, getting deeper and deeper into the heavy greenery. After about another hour or so, a very bad stench would pass by their noses, causing them both to sniff. 

"Ey, you smell that?" Daisy asked Peach.

Peach nodded, then smirked at her friend, "Maybe you smell from all that sweat."

"Wha…? How? I use plenty of deo-men's body spray to be exact." Daisy folded her arms.

This made Peach giggle, "Ooh, so you use man's stuff? Whatever happened to being a princess?"

A faint blush rose o Daisy's face. It was somewhat embarrassing for her to explain the reason behind it. "Well...hey, when you exercise as much as I do, you sweat a lot. Women's stuff doesn't...help very much."

Peach snorted and gave her friend a teasing nudge with her elbow. "Heh. They should rename you to _Prince_ Daisy. Is there anything girly you like outside of that dress you _rarely_ wear?"

Yet again, Daisy just rolled her eyes in response. "Hello? Flowers, remember? It's my _name_ ," she replied defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just kidding~" Peach winked.

Daisy huffed again. "Yeah, whatever…let's just see what that smell is. I think it's coming from those bushes up ahead." She pointed to the bushes in their path, and moved towards them with Peach silently following. With her magic, Daisy moved her hands apart, and the bushes followed her actions, moving apart also. Behind the bushes, they would both be able to see a horrific sight. A gang of Fire Bros were busy yelling at a small hole in the ground.

"Come on out!" one of them yelled, "We know you're in there! Give us the info on the scared cap-" In response, the Fire Bro was smacked in the face with a carrot that hit him in the eye. "Gah!" He held his eye in pain with one claw, and in his free claw, he made a fireball, "Forget it. Let's just light the place and be done with it!"

Peach gasped. Were they really going to burn down this jungle and evict so many creatures from their homes? Whatever was going to happen, she wouldn't stand for it. "Grrr...over my dead body."

Daisy was surprised as well, but was even more surprised to see Peach so easily angry, "Shh! Peachy, wai-!"

Unfortunately, Peach wasn't listening at all, and jumped out to the clearing where the Fire Bros were. "Hey! You bullies leave this place alone!"

Daisy closed her eyes, and slapped her forehead with her hand, sighing to herself.

"The Princess?" The Fire Bro who was hit in with the carrot moments ago looked over at her, "Heh, you'll be almost worth as much as our treasure." This particular Fire Bro was a bit taller than the others. It was easy to assume he was the leader. "Let's get her!" Three more Fire Bros stood beside him, ready to fight.

Suddenly, Daisy jumped out of the bushes, and landed next to Peach. "Yo, let's make this quick."

The lead Fire Bro scoffed, "Oh look, boys. It's that _other_ princess." His cohorts started snickering, "Yeah, no one takes interest in you, lady."

"What?!" Daisy balled her fist, and grew angry quickly. She then noticed Peach stifle a laugh next to her, "Why are _you_ laughing?!"

"Wha…?" Peach cleared her throat, "Ahem. No I'm not."

"Ugh…"

After his joke, the Fire Bro kept a wide grin on his face, "Heh. Even your so-called friend agrees."

Daisy had had enough at this point. She groaned and assumed a fighting stance, "Grrr...let's just hurry this up."

The Fire Bro smirked while holding his fireball in his claw, "Heh. Your choice Ms. Wheoever You Are."

Daisy sighed once more, and Peach stood next to her, winking at her friend-indicating she had a plan which just made Daisy roll her eyes again. _"Will this ever stop?"_


	67. Meanwhile in World Eight

Chapter 67: Meanwhile In World Eight...

The place was always so hot. It was hard to breathe, especially feeling their knees knocking out of anxiety. Their goal was but a simple objective. Nothing major. Just dropping off what they needed and getting out of there as fast as possible. It was easier said than done, though. There was no telling what lie behind the massive castle door, but their job was too imporant not to complete.

The Koopa swallowed her fear and knocked on the door of the castle.

 _Clunk clunk clunk_

There was no response for the longest moment, until suddenly- _BOOM!_ "AH!" An explosion from a Bob-Omb went right point blank, leaving her face painted with black soot. With a wipe of a claw, it came off easily, and she stomped her foot. "Ugh! Really?!"

From behind the door, two Koopas-or Koopalings-were on their shells, and laughing to their hearts' content. The youngest-Larry Koopa and the crazy one-Iggy Koopa. It was a prank that they had pulled having expected someone to arrive at their door.

"HAH!" Larry teased her, still laughing somewhat, "We got you good this time, Courtney!"

"Yeah!" His more erratic brother cried, "We got you gooder than good! One might even say the goodest!"

The female Koopa Troopa brought her claw to her face, shaking her head. This was a normal occurence that she had grown used to every time that she had arrived here. But that didn't make it any more enjoyable on her end. Over her shoulder was a bag that carried flat, square pizza boxes.

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes, "Look can I just go one day without showing up here and dealing with some stupid pranks? It's bad enough I'm stuck in this job in the first place."

Iggy snickered and continued to poke fun at her. "Looks like you're in trouble any way you _slice_ it! Hah! Get it? Getit?"

His younger brother started laughing in response. "HAH! Good one, Iggs! It sounds like her job might be a bit... _cheesy_!"

Both Koopalings continued to laugh, prompting Courtney to let out an annoyed sigh. "...Can I just get the coins needed to pay? Please?"

Both the boys were simply too caught up in their own fits of laughter to notice. However, moments passed by, and another sibling of theirs happened upon the scene. Within seconds their laughter was cut short by another voice.

"Are you guys done harrassing her?"

Both Larry and Iggy looked up. It was their older brother Roy who had walked up to them. Just his mere presence was enough to get them to quiet down.

"Uhhhh..."

"You heard me. Leave her alone." Roy snapped, folding his arms. Almost immediately, his two younger siblings got up and started walking away slowly. They hadn't seen him act that way before, so it was very strange. "Sorry, miss. They're just tryin' to be funny."

"Jeez, alright..." Larry grumbled, "It was just some fun."

Iggy followed him. "What's his problem? Did he lose his pair of dumbells again?"

"I have no idea," Larry replied, "He's been acting strange lately ever since Courtney's started bringing us pizza."

Iggy blinked jumping in place as a thought suddnely came to him. "Ya don't think he's in love do ya? He has no heart!"

The smaller Koopaling giggled as the prospect. "Maybe. But c'mon. Roy's too cool for other women. He'd make everyone jealous!"

"HAH! That's implying he can even get-" Iggy was suddenly cut off my his brother placing a claw over his mouth.

"Shhh! Do you wanna risk us being heard? Come on let's-" Larry realized that his bespectacled brother wasn't paying attention. "Hello? Bro!"

Iggy was staring at the front door. There, Roy and Courtney were engaged in light conversation. The female Koopa was heard giggling a few times. As they listened in, Larry rolled his eyes.

"Let's not assume anything, ok? This is gonna turn into some cheesy romantic comedy-Iggy!"

Iggy snapped out of his stare and realized his brother was talking. "Oh, uh, yeah?"

Larry groaned. "Come on. Quit eavesdropping. After we eat, we need to feed the piranha plants and clean the chain chomps."

"Chain chomps?!" Iggy squealed. "Where?!"

"No-Iggs, wait!" But before he could say anything, Iggy had already run off in search of Chain Chomps to clean. This left Larry on his own. "Hm...well, better go tell King-Dad the pizza's here." He let out a heavy sigh. Being on his own happened more often than he had realized. But he didn't really mind it. It gave him time to think after all.

"Just gotta get up to his room." Larry said to himself. Because he was the youngest, he usually got the most taxing of tasks. One of which included walking up every flight of the castle's stairs just to get to King Koopa's room. So much so, that by the time he got up every single gray cobblestone step, he was tired beyond belief.

"...Ugh..." The blue shelled Koopling plopped down in front of the guards who were defending Bowser's door. "Let me...-huff-...in..."

"Sorry, Lord Bowser is heavily ill." One of the Koopatrols said.

"You'll have to return later." The other said.

"..." Larry whined, then slammed his fist on the red carpeted floor. "So you mean I came all the way up here for nothing?! You have gotta be-!"

A loud, sickly sneeze followed by an eruption of flames peeked out from under the door. This was the illness the guards had spoke to him about. Larry flinched upon hearing the noise. "...jeez. You guys weren't kidding."

Moments later, the door to Bowser's room creeped open. A blue haired Koopaling with a single tooth appeared from behind it. "Gentlemen, I-" He froze. His eyes locked on his youngest sibling. "Lawrence. What are you doing here?"

"Ludwig? Oh, uh-I thought I'd come tell King-Dad that the pizza was here. But he's...sick?"

Ludwig sighed, shaking his head. "Really now? Why don't you-" Suddenly, his expression changed to taht of a smile. An idea had formed in his mind. "...Why don't you call the rest of our siblings and have us meet in the living room?"

"...Why?" Larry asked.

"Just do it." Ludwig said sternly before closing the door.

Larry was about to say something else, but was cut off by his eldest brother slamming the door. So he decided to simply roll with it, and made his way back down the stairs. "What could make King-Dad sick like that...he's...the king!"

Later...

All of the Koopalings had gathered in the living room. Iggy fidgeted in place as he babbled questions about what was going on. Morton had on earplugs to drown out Iggy. Lemmy was sleeping atop his ball. Roy sat on the couch, half asleep. Wendy was busy texting as always. And Larry sat on the carpet, looking genuinely worried.

Ludwig stood in front of his younger siblings with a presentation board behind him. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here."

For a moment, no one responded. Then, Wendy suddenly spoke up. "No, not really."

"Oh, I know! I know! I know!" Iggy yelled, "We're planning a party! Going to war! Having some-" He was cut off by Roy who plucked him over the head.

"Don't." He said simply.

"Urrgghh..." Ludwig scowled in response, and pressed a button. Behind him, a diagram of Bowser's nervous system was shown. On it was a marking of a serious infection enar his head area. "Can we please focus? Apparently Lord Bowser has come down with some sort of sickness. I deduce that we should do our utmost to assist him in any way we can."

"You mean like we already do as his slaves anyway?" Wendy said, still not looking up from her phone.

"She's got a point," Roy spoke up, "I mean, what changes? Besides the old man not breathin' down our shells every five seconds?"

Both Iggy and Lemmy giggled at this.

"Well for your information," Ludwig interjected, "I have been searching for a potential cure that could rectify his symptoms." He pressed the button again. The display board flipped to another image. This time, it showed a picture of what looked like a Fire Flower. But instead of the usual red color, it was all white. "This is the Light Flower. An item so rare, that no one has ever found it. It only grows in areas that reach extreme temperatures without any sort of moisture."

Larry blinked, and decided to speak up. "You mean, like a des-"

"In other words: A desert." Ludwig continued talking without noticing his youngest sibling's attempt at doing so. "Once we find that flower, we can easily creature a cure for our King. Any questions?"

"No, not really." Wendy replied just as simply as before, causing her oldest brother to growl in disgust before Roy spoke up.

"Ey. I remember seeing those. Somewhere in a flower shop in Daisy's Kingdom."

Iggy cackled. "Oooh! What were you doing shopping for flowers? Maybe for a g-"

Without warning, the barrel of a bullet bill canon was pointed directly at Iggy's face. "Don't." Then it disappeared.

Ludwiug meanwhile was disgusted. The very mention of Daisy's kingdom had brought back some memories that he tried to forget over the last few months. Being made out to be a fool, missing his cocnert, and wearing that...hideous maid's outfit. "...We will not be going there."

Roy turned to face his older brother, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, bro? You just said the thing was rare as heck. But now you don't wanna try? And here I thought you were always tryin' to show off to King-Dad that you could outdo us at everything."

That set him off. If there was one thing that triggered Ludwig, it was his pride being toyed with. "Shut your mouth!" He hissed, slamming his claw on the coffee table. "You know nothing of what which I try to accomplish! That redhead's excuse for a Kingdom is not worth our time!"

Lemmy tilted his head innocently. "Uhhhhhh wouldn't it just be easier to just ask? Why do we have to be mad all the time?"

"Yeah, what he said," Morton chimed in, "Let's just go and get the flower to make King-Dad better."

"Grrr! Shut up, all of you!" Ludwig yelled, "You don't understand. This...this changes everything!"

And to everyone in the room's surprise, Wendy, for the first time since the whole "meeting" started, looked up from her phone. She stared at Ludwig for a long moment. "...And here I thought that cutout of Princess Peach you stare at was the most sickening thing about you." She paused, and the room fell completely silent before she went back to her phone. "Guess I was wrong."

Absolute silence filled the room as if a Boh-Omb went off. Not even Lemmy or Iggy had anything to say at the moment. But Ludwig was the most stunned of all, having almost turned pale white.

"...Meeting disclosed..." He said in a barely audible voice while walking away to his room, closing the door behind him.

Once his six siblings were left behind, Wendy grabbed her purse. "Glad that's over. Now I can actually do something worth my time." And with that, she elft the room as well.

The other five Koopalings were still in shock from what had just happened. They all exchanged looks of confusion, disbelief, and fear.

What if they were next?


	68. Must Have Plan

Chapter 68: Must Have Plan

Out of everyone that had attended the meeting, Lemmy and Morton were the most concerned for what had just happened. Mainly because they felt that their secrets were much more sinsitive compared to everyone else's. If Wendy had that much dirt on Ludwig, who knows what sort of things she knew about them.

The pair were trying to come up with a plan to sneak out of the castle to get the flower, but something still didn't leave Lemmy's head after the meeting. "Soooo...any idea what could've made King-Dad sick?" he asked while riding atop his ball as usual.

"I...dunno," Morton responded, "but...it don't make sense. I thought he was invisible!"

Lemmy corrected him, "I think it's 'invincible' and yeah you're right. I wonder if he's allergic to anything, maybe?"

"But what? And how?" Morton questioned, not really believing that Bowser could somehow be affected by anything. And Lemmy was less sure.

"I dunno but...we should probably start looking for the cure."

"But you heard Ludes! he said that we shouldn't go back to Daisy's place!"

Lemmy folded his arms and narrowed his crossed-eyes stubbornly. "So? He may be the oldest but that doesn't make him the boss!"

"...I thought that was exactly what it meant."

"Come on!" Lemmy chirped, grabbing his younger brother with a magic field from his scepter. "Let's get King-Dad better!"

Morton shuddered from within the orange-yellow aura that was pulling him along. This did not sound like something he was prepared for. "Oh no..."

Later on, the pair had taken a pipe to Sarasaland. Though it was more or less the edge of the united kingdoms, as the Koopalings were both ejected from a pipe and plopped down in the middle of a sandy desert.

"Oof!" Both of them cried once they hit the sand. Lemmy started spitting out some of the grains of fine dust while Morton cleaned his shell.

Looking around, they both realized they were pretty far from any sort of civilization. Lemmy then spoke up, "Ok! Time to get down to business!" With a wave of his scepter, he made another ball appear beneath him, and started rolling on it through the sand. "Come on, bro!"

Morton put his claw up. The Angry Sun caused such sweltering heat that would easily dry up any piranha plant. It was so hot that a Bob-Omb's fuse could be lit from the air itself. "Jeez, I know World Eight is hot but this is..." he muttered as he followed his brother.

Lemmy continued rolling atop his ball, but didn't seem to be as bothered. "I think Ludes said something about this-this place is dry!"

"...Huh," Morton responded, then suddenly felt a pang of worry. "...Wait, what if he finds out we tried to come here?!"

"Relax, my man!" Lemmy chirped, grinning innocently, "He'll never find us! What is he supposed to be? Our mom!"

Morton fell silent at the mention of their mother. Even if it was just a joke, it didn't exactly register to him as such. Lemmy knew this, and quickly started to apologize.

"Woah, woah, woah! It was...j-just a joke, bro!" He said, "I...didn't exactly..."

In an attempt to change the subject, Morton pointed ahead. "Dude, look!"

Lemmy turned his head to see what his brother was talking about. As it turns out, another pipe was right in front of them. "Ooh!" His eyes grew wide with wonder, "I onder where this goes~"

"...Please no," Morton begged, "the last time we went down a random pipe we ended up in a girls' locker room!"

"...That was one time!" The smaller Koopaling groaned, "Anyway, you always worry too uch, bro. We need to get the flower!"

"Yeah but-woah!"

Morton was cut off when Lemmy tossed him inside. Both ofthe Koopalings shouted-though, Morton's was more of a scream-as they entered the pipeline. Making its signature noises, the pipe spat them both out, this time into a lush garden greenhouse with flowers, vines, and nearly every type of plant in sight.

"Woah..." They looked up in awe at the scenery around them, mezemerized by the beauty of the garden.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the garden, two sets of eyes watched them from afar.

"Dang it. Larosky, who are those two?" A deep voice with a Russain accent whispered.

"I don't know," another voice with the same accent replied, "but we stick to the plan."

"Right."


	69. Oddly Messy

Chapter 69: Oddly Messy

Once they had landed in the garden, the pair of Koopalings stood up, dusting themselves off from yet another rough landing. The garden was inside of a giant greenhouse in the middle of the hot desert. It was perfectly placed due to the amount of sunlight captured by the glass every day. Because of this, many rare, and even borderline extinct plants were being housed here. Plants from all over the world were housed here. And even some from the real world. The likes of which Lemmy and Morton hadn't seen before.

Naturally, Lemmy was excited. "Woooooah. Look at all the green!" He squeaked.

Morton on the other hand, was less excited. "Ugh. All this green reminds me of vegetables. And I hate vegetables."

"Aw, come on, little bro!" Lemmy tried to comfort him as he walked atop his ball to get a better look. He was much too short to look around without it. "This place looks pretty!"

Morotn sighed, and reluctantly began to follow. Though, the sight of all of the greenery was making him sick.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the garden, the two figures were still keeping a close eye on the Koopalings. Standing within the rose bushes, a pair of Bob-Ombs, one blue, one black wearing parkas on their heads observed quietly.

That is, until one of them broke the silence. "Sir," the blue one spoke, "How are we going to enact our plan with those buffoons here?"

"Quiet, Larosky," the black one replied, "We need to wait for them to get out of sight. Then we can move in." They turned around, looking at a carefully laid out plan on a diagram. Apparently they were after the Light Flower as well. "Once we get this flower, we'll have an unlimited source of fuse lighter."

His partner spoke up, "And then we can exact our revenge on the man who fired us."

"Exactly." Somehow, without the power of arms, the boss picked up the map.(It's probably magic.) "For now, we must try to understand-why are those Koopa-kids here?"

"I don't know," his underling answered, "But they could be on the prowl for the Light Flower as well. What if they're here to take it, boss?"

"Then, we'll just take it first. No holding back when it comes to our needs."

"Yes, boss."

At the other end of the greenhouse, Morton and Lemmy were still walking around, trying to find the flower as well. The smaller Koopaling on his ball was still so excited to see all of the new plants around. His much larger brother, however was still somewhat bored.

"Ugh, this is boring! Where's the dang flower!" Morton whined.

Lemmy stopped on his ball with his back towards a Purple Piranha Plant that he didn't see. "Come on, bro! Where's your sense of adventure?!" Said Piranha Plant started to twitch from behind Lemmy, catching wind of his scent. It started moving, opening its giant gaping maw that dripped globs of drool. But Lemmy still failed to notice. "We got all this stuff to look at and you just wanna complain!"

"Dude, behi-"

Lemmy cut him off. "Uh-uh, no. _You_ listen, bro. You've been just running your mouth non-stop and it's driving me sick!"

The Piranha Plant was about to chomp down on the small Koopaling before Morton shouted. "Behind you!"

"Eh?" Lemmy turned around and saw the predatory plant about to eat him. "Wah!" He jumped off his ball in the nick of time, and the Piranha Plant ended up swallowing his ball instead. Even though he escape, Lemmy was still shaken up by what happened. He watched his ball travel down the digestive tract of the Piranha Plant. The mere idea that that could be him was terrifying to imagine. "...Oh jeez..."

Morton walked over. "You alright?" he asked, "Sorry, but I guess you didn't see it..."

Lemmy sighed, shaking his head. "Nah, it's alright. I appreciate it, though. I was almsot plant food!"

That managed to get a chuckle out of the both of them. "I don't think you'd be too tasty for a plant, bro."

"Yeah..." All the sudden, Lemmy caught sight of a small light cutting through a nearby bush. "...Bro, look! Come on!" Without hesitation, another ball spawned beneath Lemmy's feet, and he started rolling towards it.

Morton followed eagerly. "Anything to get away from this...nature faster."

They both made their way over, and stopped near the wall of bushes that surrounded the light. Lemmy used his scepter to push the bushes aside. And when they looked in, they found a sight to behold.

"Who the _heck_ are you?!"


	70. Battle Time

Chapter 70: Battle Time

The sight was something to behold on both sides of the bush. As it turns out, Morton and Lemmy had walked right into the Light Flower sanctuary at the exact same moment as the pair of Bob-Ombs!

This naturally shocked Lemmy, who had originally though they were alone the entire time. "What the-who are you guys?!"

The black boss Bob-Omb stepped forward. "I believe the better question is, how much time you have left."

"Eh?" Morton scratched his head, not really getting what that meant.

Then, the blue Bob-Omb-the one known as Larosky stepped forward. "He means how much time before you're both blasted into sky." Both of their fuses were lit moments later. "We were here first, comrade."

"Pff, is that it?" Lemmy scoffed before letting out a laugh. "I got this, bro!" In a situation like this, Lemmy would always resort to using his scepter to turn the tables. And he was prepared, whipping it out to try and threaten the Bob-Ombs. "Haha! I've always wanted some new balls. You guys look like just the right size!"

As a backup, Morton had already taken out his scepter as well. Often times, they would both attack together seeing as this looked like a threat they couldn't handle themselves. "Yeah, bring it on!"

 _BOOM_

An invisible explosion went off near them. From it, a powerful gale of wind blew their wands out of their hands and sent them flying out of the greenhouse.

"Great work, Larosky," the boss Bob-Omb said as his cohort's fuse re-lit. If he had a mouth, a wide smirk would be plastered across it clear as day.

"Thank you, boss."

Lemmy started to panic. Without their scepters they were all but powerless save for their shells. But that wouldn't do them much good here. "Uh...uh...Morton what do we do?!"

"Duck!" Morton suddenly yelled and crouched down to the floor.

"Wha-?!" Lemmy was confused, but he was instantly dragged to the floor by his brother's claw.

The reason why he had shouted in the first place was coming from the sides. Out of nowhere, a pair set of bones were flying towards them all in a spreading fan shape. Unlike most bone projectiles, these were the size of human femurs that were sharpened on one end to function as daggers. They missed the Koopalings, but the Bob-Omb pair was caught dead in the spread.

"YIE!" Both of them shouted upon being peppered with the dagger-like calcium.

"Who did that?! Show yourself!" The "boss" Bob-Omb commanded.

In response, a short figure-about the size of a Koopa-jumped out to confront the talking explosives. It was easy to tell that they were a Dry Bones. But what wasn't easy to tell was their exact appearance, as it had been masked by pale green desert robes akin to what the locals of Dry Dry Outpost only part of their body visible was their beak-like nose that all Koopas (and Dry Bones in this case) had, and their hands. And in their right hand was a bow used for launching arrows. Though, apparently the sharpened bone was their main weapon of choice as one could tell by the cylindrical case of them that was on their back.

"Looking for trouble?" A raspy female voice spoke from beneath the robes, "Because it just found you."

Both of the Koopaling brothers didn't know what to make of this strange, undead Koopa girl. Though, as they exchanged glances, they found that they could agree on something. "...She's cool..."

Not to be upstaged, the Boss Bob-Omb stood his ground. Being thwarted by some random girl wasn't on his schedule. "Begone with you, heathen! You have no place here!"

His underling, Larosky joined in. "Da. Beat it! Or I'll take you down along with the place!" His eyes turned angry and his fuse lit once more. But this time, it was burning much more quickly...

Despite this, the Dry Bone girl wasn't fazed. Aiming her bow, she instantly drew another one of her arrow-bones. "No. I know you're smarter than that. There's at least twenty seconds before that fuse comes anywhere near detonation. Instead, I'll release the elastic, sending a needle-like point through the dead center of your mass, rupturing your armor and lodging it within the port needed for your wind up key, rendering you completely inept and unable to perform your duties until someone bothers to fix a lowly grunt such as yourself." As the words left her mouth, her hand pulled back on the bow with each passing second. "Unless you enjoy risking yourself for nothing."

Larosky put on a brave face, pretending as if he wasn't deterred by her words. Though, on the inside he was worried if she would actually carry out such a threat. "She doesn't mean that, boss!"

The Boss Bob-Omb chuckled, "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

"I have nothing to lose, and nothing to gain," the Dry Bones said, still keeping her aim precise. "What's one more...?"

In all the excitement, the Koopaling brothers had forgotten what they were doing. They were entranced by whoever this was, daring to take on a Bob-Omb boss like this. It was enough to make them stop and stare, unblinking to avoid missing a single second...

"If it means less of your kind, then so be it..." the Boss watched on as his underling's fuse was nearly burned through...

"..." She let go of the arrow, sending it hurdling towards the Bob-Omb at breakneck speed.

Unfortunately, almost a nanosecond before, the Boss Bob-Omg let off a flash explosion, blinding everyone in the immediate area. The abrupt nature of the flash caused the Dry Bones' aim to lose sight of its target. Upon releasing the arrow it flew across the distance between both parties, barely grazing Larosky's dome. As she knew, he hadn't planned on exploding to destroy everyone and everything around them in the first place. It was merely a distraction. "Grrr..."

In the amount of time they knew their opposition was distracted, the Bob-Ombs began to make their escape by running. "Let's go, boss!"

"Shush! She'll hear us!"

Even though she was momentarily blinded by the flash, the undead Koopa wasn't put out just yet. Taking off after them, she shot off a continuous stream of bone arrows. Interestingly enough, each one seemed to come in contact with another projectile coming opposite of her, and exploded. "This again..." Each one was hitting much smaller, regular bombs that the Bob-Ombs normally used as weapons. For such a large scale plan such as this, she knew that there had to be more than just two of them.

The flash in the area began to clear up. Visibility returned to the immediate area. Sure enough, small bombs were being flung towards her from a getaway tank used by the Bob-Ombs-it had parked just outside of the Greenhouse and was waiting for the Boss the entire time. "...Oh no." This was much bigger than what she had expected, but first, she focused on what was in front of her. But there was one problem.

She was out of arrows.

"..." Putting her bow to the side, she formulated a new plan. She removed her head from her body, and quickly surveyed the bombs about to land. Five, all in an arc. Nothing special about this one. "Ha!" Flinging her head, she hit each bomb, crashing through them all like a boomerang made of steel. They all exploded in mid-air, leaving the greenhouse unharmed. If there was one thing she wanted to desperately avoid, it was property damage. Her head returned to her after taking out the first set.

Another set of bombs came at her. This time they were low to the ground, and flew across the horizon, ignoring gravity. Three of them, but they were bigger. But naturally, it didn't make her flinch. In addition to her head, she ripped off her entire shell, revealing a very tattered zombie rock T shirt. Flinging both, she was able to destroy them with ease, while using her head once more for the last one, causing them all to explode harmlessly.

"You boys underestimate me..." She said while wriggling herself back into one piece. "It's sickening."

At this point, the Bob-Ombs had gotten fed up. Using more pristine tactics (and by that, we mean rage), they readied the tank to fire its missile.

"Make sure she doesn't come back together." The Boss said, while his crew took aim with the tank, pointing the nose toward the Dry Bones.

"...!" She could very much see what their plan was. And she had to figure something out. Retracting into her shell for a moment, she started to rummage around. Meanwhile, the Bob-Ombs were busy taking aim...

"3...2...1..."

"Ngh!" With a grunt, she hopped out of her shell.

 _BANG_

The tank shot a missile directly at the Dry Bones. The Bob-Ombs watched intently as they prepared for their adversary to be blasted. Yet, when it reached her, it didn't explode. In fact, the missile continued sailing over the ground, but she wasn't in sight. This prompted confusion out of everyone on board the tank, including the Boss.

"What is going on, Vertoli!" The Boss shouted to a bespectacled Bob-Omb at the controls.

"I-I don't know, boss!"

What they didn't know was that in reality, the Dry Bones had managed to jump and land onto the missile itself. The time she was spending in her shell was time spent looking for a screwdriver-which was naturally also made of bone. While on it, she used what little body weight she had in order to steer the missle clear of the plants within the greenhouse. However, this didn't make it any easier. What she was really trying to do, was reach the missle's outer flap.

Her bones rattled with anxiety. This was _not_ something she had planned to do today. However, she did her best to keep a cool head. With the screwdriver in her hand, she crawled along the flap, constantly trying her best to avoid colliding with any sort of surface or plant life. Once she finally reached the panel that held the missile together, she went to work, using the bony tool to undo the screws on top. "Come on..." If she had any skin, she would have been sweating by the gallons. Thankfully she didn't have to worry about this, as the panel soon came off, revealing a few layers of wire. "...Maybe..." Another advantage of being all bone: Live wires were just shoelaces to her. Electrocution wasn't a thing she had to worry about. With that in mind, she started working on them...

All the while, both Lemmy and Morton had snapped out of their trance. The smaller Koopaling was bouncing with excitement. "Woah, did you see that?! She was awesome!"

"Yeah..." Morton agreed, following his older brother back to where the flower they needed was being held. "She sounded pretty tough too. I wonder who she is..."

Lemmy blew a raspberry. "Pbbt! Ah, who cares! Let's steal the Light Flower already!"

Back in the tank...

The Bob-Omb boss was still trying to figure out just where the Koopa went. "Where is she?! Someone track the missile!"

At the controls of the tank, the Bob-Omb with glasses was trying to understand it through all of the blinking lights. Apparently something had gone wrong with the missile itself. "I can't track it anymore, boss. She's doing...something..." Just then, an alarm went off.

The Boss was growing irritated. "What now?!"

Through the open hatch of the tank, another crew member saw something that made him jump. "Boss! Everyone! Abandon! Abandon!" He along with the the others started to funnel out of the hatch, much to the Boss's annoyance.

"Where are you going, comrades?! We still have to-" At that moment, he looked up. He saw the same Dry Bones from before, riding on the missile, and guiding it directly towards the tank! "Ach! You..."

As the redirected missile came closer, the Dry Bones couldn't help but smirk as she rode it like a body board. "Trouble found you."

"I will need drink after this..." the Boss hopped out, and began running off along with the rest of his troops. "No amount of cherry cola will help me get over Sasha..."

 _BOOM_

The missile collided with the tank, sending metal fragments of ash, fire, and smoke in every direction. The Bob-Ombs groaned in defeat as they ran off. "Sasha" was one of their lower end vehicles, but like all, it was still valued. So much so, that they had lost the will to fight once it was destroyed, and retreated off down a nearby pipe. "This isn't over, loyalist pig!"

After the explosion, the Dry Bones was sent flying. Her body flung right back into the greenhouse in the aftermath. Naturally, after a few moments, she managed to coagulate and gather herself up. Once she did, she brushed some soot off of her clothes, and held her head in her hands while groaning. "Ow..." The pain of the full frontal blast had returned to her body upon recovering. Though, something else caught her attention while she managed to pull herself together.

Both Lemmy and Morton were carrying the Light Flower in their claws, and the Dry Bones stood up. By now, she had more bone arrows, and took aim at them both. "You there."

Upon being spotted they froze, realizing they were caught...


	71. Home

Chapter 71: Home

Neither of them enjoyed this. The way each other thought, operated, or dealt with situations. Though, how exactly they treated this was a Goomba of a different color. The plan was so simple, seemingly too easy to readily mess up at a moment's notice. However, things took a dark turn.

Simple. Though, simple didn't always equate to easy. As such, was the current situation both Peach and Daisy were in. Though, they did indeed manage to find the key they were looking for-the one that opened up the last resort of an item stash, it came at a hefty price.

Both princesses looked worse than they ever had been in their lives. Their clothes were torn in several places, skin bruised-which left birth mark shaped blotches of purple along their bodies, a few hash-shaped cuts upon their cheeks, but worst of all...

Their hair. Nearly burned to a crisp!

"Remind me...to never...agree to your plans," the redheaded princess nearly spat. Bitterly so. Having lost a few teeth in the battle.

The blonde princess was holding the key in her hands. Solemnly staring at it. Not having said a word the entire time. As if she was deeply thinking about something. Exactly what was anyone's guess.

Overcast. That was the best way to describe the current weather. The dreaded feeling of summer kept it from being too cold, however. Even though clouds blocked out the Angry Sun, it still felt humid. As if the entire outside world was a swamp.

Their torment would soon end. As both princesses would eventually return to Peach's castle. Neither of them speaking to each other still.

That is, until the silence was broken.

"Daisy, I'm..."

"It's fine," her best friend cut her off, "do as ya were..."

This made Peach return to silence as she did before. However, once she opened the door to the castle, the silence was yet again broken. By a crowd of her subjects.

"SHE RETURNS!" Shouted a few dozen Toads, a few Koopas, Mousers, Goombas, and other assorted species. Upon their cry to the princess, streamers and balloons had been released as well as a banner being unraveled that said, 'GREAT JOB, PRINCESS!' This was to celebrate Peach's return after getting the key back.

And she was surprised to say the least. As well as somewhat annoyed. What she wanted right now, was rest. Not another party. Her eyes went wide. She looked to her assistant Toadsworth for an answer.

"Toadsworth," she whispered, "...now? Really?" 

The elderly Toad cleared his throat. "Princess, a few more guests have arrived and wanted to commemorate the return of the item treasury key. Come now, it won't take too long."

Peach gave a defeated sigh, and saw no way out of it. Daisy on the other hand wasn't so happy either.

The flower princess simply went into the next room and flopped onto the couch. "Owowowow..." A sudden crick in her spine released a sharp pain. "..so much walking..." In the back of her mind, she started to wonder something else. _"There it goes again...why doesn't she just tell anyone how she feels..."_ Normally Daisy would be more tolerant. After all, being a princess wasn't an easy job-and it had a lot of stress behind it. Though, at the same time, she wondered why Peach simply hasn't bothered to speak up for herself. _"...can't stand door mats..."_

It had also been an issue that had gone on for a long period of time. One that simply couldn't be ignored. And once again, as expected, Peach was busy with her own business. Not once did she bother to check on Daisy or see how she was doing after the grueling torment they were put through. Though, the redhead stayed calm. After all, princesses were busy. And she knew this was the case for herself too.

So she pulled out her phone.

A quick phone call to Drible later, and she was now waitoing for her butler to arrive to take her home. One of the only instances where she would agree to do so. Mainly because the weather was simply too difficult to traverse through.

"Oh, Daisy?"

Daisy looked behind her and saw Peach standing in the doorway. She blinked. Not having expected her friend to simply drop everything so quickly. "Yo."

"Sorry, I've been just so busy being swarmed for the last few minutes that I had to come talk to you," she took a step into the room, "is there something wrong?"

"Eh? Why would there be?"

Peach looked down, and began to twiddle her index fingers together. Her usual display of nerves. "You were quiet the whole way here. I've never seen you so...well, silent. If something's bothering you, you usually either punch it in the face, or talk about it." She let out a small giggle. "I'm open to either."

"Yeah, uh...the former would cause a national discrepancy."

Peach tilted her head. "What...?"

Daisy sat up. "You _really_ wanna know what's got me like this? Why I feel so cheesed off right now? What's irritating me more than anything?"

Peach blinked. The tension in the room was growing. As if there was a Bob-Omb slowly being wound up with every second, and no knowledge of when it was going to be set loose. However, she was more than willing to listen. "Yes. I do."

"..."


	72. The Fight

Chapter 72: The Fight

Daisy took a deep breath, letting her emotions loose.

"You...are annoying. You constantly accept all this grace and praise like you're some sort of goddess of the kingdom, yet you don't do much at all. Oh, wait, you do. I mean, in Smash and the one time where you dressed up as Luigi and kicked everyone's butts in Bowser's castle. But after that, it's like you got lazy and refused to do anything else. Your kingdom has come under attack over fifty times, and you always rely on just Mario. Oh, but what if he ended up incapacitated? You'd just swoop in and be the glorified action girl hero that everyone thinks you are. But the saddest part is, I know you're better than that. Heck, you _are_ better than that. I just wanna know...why? Why don't you try to change? Why do you just stagnante and let everything around you fall to ruin, huh? And in said ruin, why is that the only time you bother to get off your behind and do something. _Why?_ "

"..." For the longest moment, peach was silent. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She wasn't upset with Daisy's words. Rather, she accepted them. Though, at the same time... "If we're being honest, can I say something?"

"Eh?"

Peach took another breath.

"You don't know or understand that much about me. You're too quick to pass judgement onto others when you haven't even bothered to show up to any of the parties I hold. As well as the fact that you dont seem to understand the concept of moderation. I may not do as much as I used to, but that's because I've learned to actually balance out my lifestyle. Something that I've been hoping for the lonest amount of time to see you do. And do you know why I've let Mario handle things? It's because he and Luigi tend to be more than capable, and I'm simply reduced to a secondary character. I don't know about you, but I would very much rather have no role than be stuck with one I hate in order to recieve praise-as you claim that I do. Do you know why? Being flat out honest. Because you're judgemental."

"..." Now Daisy was the one who fell silent. Unable to come up with a response for a moment before she sat up, being at eye level with her blonde friend. "So you mean to tell me that all this time you've been aware of how I am, and you didn't bother to help me try and fix it? And you call yourself my friend?"

Peach narrowed her eyes, having become irritated at this. "Excuse me? I actually _try_ to be nice. I actually _try_ to have a good side with people, instead of putting my feet up on a desk and wearing those outdated short shorts all the time while drinking soda? Are you serious? Correct me if I'm wrong, but royalty should try and maintain an image."

Daisy grinded her teeth, "At least my image s who I really am and not some galmour girl facade that I hide behind so I won't be vulnerable. May I remind you that my Kingdom's only been attacked _once_. And not ever since," her eyes shot daggers at Peach, "what does that say about you?"

Peach folded her arms, and corssed her leg, looking up with an almost smug expression. "That my kingdom is actually worth trying to conquer in the first place? I mean, who wants to rule over a hot desert that they can't do anything with? At least I actually have a reason to be attacked, and it only shows how little your kingdom has grown."

"Excuse me?!" Daisy's eyes started to catch fire. "My kingdom is literally a United Society with four smaller countries in it! How _dare_ you say that I haven't grown."

Then, Peach gave an almost condescending giggle. "Are you compensating?"

"What." Daisy's expression turned flat as a pancake. "What does that have to do with the fact that you have gotten _bad._ When we were kids, you always stood up for me. I never felt comfortable around other people and you were the one who always came to sit next to me, play with me, or keep me safe. I actually felt _comfortable_ around you. I mean, how do you imagine it felt when everyone either mocked you for being a princess and called names because your home was hard to pronounce. Being treated as some sort of foreigner is not fun!"

"You want to know the truth?" Peach raised an eyebrow, "It's because I felt nothing but pity for you. How you were always on your own, and never bothered to try and talk to anyone else out of sheer fear for no good reason. You complained about not having friends, but not once did I see you actually try to talk to anyone. So it's no wonder you're living out in an isolated desert of a kingdom where _no one can hear you._ "

"..." Daisy balled her fist. Veins bulging along the appendag as if she was having a high blood pressure issue. "I just want to know one thing..."

Peach didn't respond, but kept her eyes on her friend.

"...why won't you change?"

And at that, Peach looked up at her, giving the flower princess an almost deathly glare that was supplemented with a small smile. "Because I refuse to follow the direction of someone who has no direction for themselves."

Like a Bullet Bill to a glass house, it had shattered whatever Daisy had left. At this point, they were both spent in terms of talking to each other and how tired they were. "Fine...sure, whatever." And the redhead calmly walked towards the door, "Have fun with your subjects that are blinded by obligatory bullcrap." Then, she left, trying to retain as much of her composure as possible to avoid stomping holes in Peach's floor.

The subjects who were celebrating watched in silence as Daisy left, becoming confused afterwards. This promted Toadsworth to confront the Mushroom princess about what had happened. And he did, walking into the living room just moments later. "Princess-"

But before he could get a good word in. "Cancel the party, and tell everyone to go home. That's an order," was all she said before she lied down on the couch to flick on the television.

Daisy meanwhile, had walked outside and into the wet, hot, and sticky weather. She sighed to herself. That was the most brutal fight that she had with her friend. Not counting the physical ones anyway. And in the back of her head, she was imagining what would have happened had it gone physical and ended up like the last time they did so...

 _"We both ended up in the hospital for almost a month. They had to put us in separate rooms so we wouldn't yell at each other and cause our blood pressure to give us heart attacks...man, I can't even remember what that was about..."_

 _"Who does she think she is..."_ Peach thought, _"I go out of my way to keep her as a close friend for a decade and a half, and this is how she repays me. I see why not too many people keep the friends they supposedly make. Never in my life have I been so embarrassed..."_

After Daisy wwas picked up by Drible, and went home, the two went their separate ways for a while. Oddly not speaking to each other, or spending any time with each other as mucha s they used to. Unfortunately, because of how quiet it was kept, no one really noticed. On either side, from either kingdom. As well as the fact that, for the time they were apart, they seemed almost...happier. Getting more work done for their kingdoms, helping others more often, and even going out more.

With each passing thought before they went to sleep, both princessess thought of their best friend, and how each other would want each other to be for themselves, Then they both remmebered the fight, and pushed the thoughts away faster than they had come before turning over to sleep at night. Yet, there was something they might not have realized.

It was almost as if being apart had brought them together.


End file.
